tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71916046713349717562012-01-13T16:06:48.546-07:00"Art, Food, and Fun Times."Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.comBlogger1981100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-11900912975244326812011-12-29T22:58:00.000-07:002011-12-29T22:58:06.756-07:00I really love Etsy. Here are some of the most cutest, greatest items I've come across lately. Check them out.<br /><br />A beautiful painting. I love this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/86546186/english-market-3-of-3-le-poisson?ref=af_you_favitem">fish's</a> expression.<br /><br />Who could resist such a vintage pair (of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/84252865/sale-last-pair-gorgeous-vintage-pave?ref=af_you_favitem">earrings</a>)?<br /><br />Yellow makes me happy, and this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/88576564/custom-yellow-linen-dress-maxi-evening?ref=af_you_favshop">dress</a> just is over-the-top cuteness.<br /><br />Flowers are <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/84189906/pink-rose-felted-flower-brooch-free-gift?ref=v1_other_2">pretty</a> accessories. Especially felted ones!<br /><br />If you didn't know already, I love blankets and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/80181386/origami-pillow-cover-in-deep-red-and?ref=af_you_favitem">pillows</a>, and really can't get enough. Weird, I know.<br /><br />Pink is a new favorite color of mine, I've been trying to resist it for years but all of the sudden I've just accepted it and want to buy <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/84262481/sale-1970s-knit-top-peach?ref=af_you_favitem">pink</a>.<br /><br />Beautiful rose rings and hair pins. I love <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparrowsnestdesigns?ref=seller_info">it</a>.<br /><br />Cute vintage <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/urbaneccentric?ref=af_you_favshop">clothes</a>, along with friends <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/thevinyljunky?ref=seller_info">too</a>.<br /><br />I am a bathing suit collector. I have to seriously avoid swim suit season because of this (my drawer is exploding with them). But I may have to make an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/85509547/classic-navy-high-waisted-retro-bathing?ref=af_you_favshop">exception</a> for this one... probably will have to...<br /><br />Thanks for reading and supporting etsy!<br />-Rachel<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1190091297524432681?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-16000692043389599532011-12-16T18:01:00.001-07:002011-12-16T18:03:49.201-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r78kK3tVUtE/TuvlWpHYHCI/AAAAAAAABtg/L-0sck128Lc/s1600/DSCN2281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r78kK3tVUtE/TuvlWpHYHCI/AAAAAAAABtg/L-0sck128Lc/s400/DSCN2281.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Christmas Time is here. We've been settling in. Woo! At least I'm excited about it. We're finally tackling the obstacles we needed to, to find our place here and what we'll be doing. This is a picture of us decorating for Christmas with Justin and Lindsey, our housemates. I was happily surprised that all of our decorations matched and are cute together.<br />We are cooking like crazy still, and I am managing my new blog <i><a href="http://braumeisterswife.blogspot.com/">the Braumeister's Wife</a></i>, a food blog. Billy has been helping me out with lighting for my photos, and taking some himself too. I've been having fun with it, and even have a new idea for photo-less blog posts. I thought I should try out illustrating the recipe instead and posting that for the image instead of photo step-by-step. There have been a couple of blogs I've seen that do that, with different intentions than I'll have, but I was nevertheless inspired by it.<br />Our Etsy shop has been doing well too. I just sold a commission for Christmas, which will have to be revealed later on. It was a three month process and was delivered to the recipients last week. Billy just sold a piece to someone in New York, which was the painting "At the Races." We're excited about these transactions, and we're trying to come up with more ideas for sales. I am going to attempt a line of simply drawn illustrations of household items, beginning with kitchen related gadgets and foods.<br />Anyways, that's our little update. We hope you all are doing well and are enjoying your Christmas season.<br />Love the Roses<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1600069204338959953?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-91627270879541889012011-12-03T12:16:00.001-07:002011-12-03T12:17:07.762-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5ghtCDyUbY/Ttp1dEnBaSI/AAAAAAAABrY/kctVVYiZjOg/s1600/merry-christmas-etsy.jpg" /></a></div>Huge Sale on our Etsy! Enjoy 50% OFF for Christmas!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-9162727087954188901?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-47851908285111855412011-11-26T10:35:00.001-07:002011-11-26T11:00:19.471-07:00<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We just got back from Prescott, Arizona late last night. We had such a fun Thanksgiving with my family. It was so nice to see everyone, and to have some quality family time. We also got to see Jeff and Amanda, and Hilary, Jeff we hadn't seen for many, many months. It was nice to be back in the Arizona mountains with the brisk, fresh air, changing color of the leaves, and the clean city itself. Billy's been working at Starbucks, and it seems we may be&nbsp;</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">getting back on track. Thanks for all of your prayers!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">We've been working on some internet stuff in regards to my new <a href="http://braumeisterswife.blogspot.com/">food blog</a> and our<a href="http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint"> etsy</a>. I am finishing up a Christmas present for an etsy commission, and afterwards would like to reconfigure some of our etsy listings. I think this comment goes with what I've had in my head:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"What kind of boutiques &amp; galleries would you like to see your product displayed in? Replicate that feeling in your listings. #EtsySuccess"</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #aaaaaa;"><div class="s-attribution" style="color: #aaaaaa; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 35px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="s-source s-twitter" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: opacity; -webkit-transition-timing-function: initial; float: left; margin-right: 3px; opacity: 1;"><a href="http://twitter.com/" style="color: #333333; display: block; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><div class="s-source-icon" style="background-image: url(http://storify.com/public/img/sources/twitter-16px.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 3px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"></div></a></div><div class="s-author" style="float: right; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 3px; margin-top: -10px;"><a class="s-author-name" href="http://twitter.com/taragentile" style="color: #666666; line-height: 32px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tara Gentile</a><a href="http://twitter.com/taragentile" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img class="s-author-avatar" src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/1594470440/tara_red_normal.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(233, 233, 233) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 2px, rgb(233, 233, 233) 0px 0px 0px 3px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(233, 233, 233) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 2px, rgb(233, 233, 233) 0px 0px 0px 3px; float: right; height: 32px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 32px;" /></a></div><div class="s-posted" style="color: #777777; float: left; margin-right: 3px;"><a class="s-posted" href="http://twitter.com/taragentile/status/137628212082651136" style="color: #777777; float: left; margin-right: 3px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><div class="timestamp" data-timestamp="2011-11-18T20:28:17.000Z">8 days ago</div></a></div><div class="s-element-actions" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: opacity; -webkit-transition-timing-function: initial; float: left; opacity: 1;"><a class="twitter-newwindow twitter-reply" event="twitter-reply" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=137628212082651136&amp;related=storify&amp;via=storify&amp;url=permalink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://storify.com/public/img/retweet-reply.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -33px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #777777; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="reply" value="@taragentile">Reply</a><a class="twitter-newwindow twitter-retweet" event="twitter-retweet" href="" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://storify.com/public/img/retweet-reply.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -1px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #777777; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" text="What kind of boutiques &amp; galleries would you like to see your product displayed in? Replicate that feeling in your listings. #EtsySuccess" title="retweet" tweet_id="137628212082651136" username="taragentile">Retweet</a></div></span></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">It may take some time to lay out all of our art for sale and to re-take the photos, but it would be a good idea to help "brand" our art shop.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">We've been so grateful to get to spend time with our friends Clay and Janelle, who are here from Ireland. Friends have been a constant new theme in our lives since we've moved back here. We are so grateful to have that.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Anyways, just a quick update and some randomness. Love you all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">-R</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4785190828511185541?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-83572231275440972222011-10-28T09:07:00.001-07:002011-10-28T09:39:21.043-07:00Husband and I have been keeping busy here in Southern California. It is as hard as people say to get jobs here and to just live here. We have been blessed by our friends and their parents, to let us live with them for cheap rent. Also blessed that I have a stable job, and that Billy has at least a part-time job as of now. Others are opening up with more available hours for seasonal help for him. Aside from these boring details, we are having fun too. Recently, we went to a pumpkin farm in Fallbrook called Lavender Hill Pumpkin. I love pumpkin farms probably because of growing up with Young's Farm every October in Prescott, Arizona. I'd much rather go to an actual farm with fields of growing crops, rather than a kiddie-fair where pumpkins are just laid out for you on hay stacks. Besides my love for real farms, I think Billy has a love for them too or at least fond memories. He used to work at Young's Farm. So he never discourages the thought of finding an authentic pumpkin farm, and I think we found a good one this time. It isn't as big as Young's Farm, if you're familiar with it, it doesn't have the turkey or chicken coops, animal farm section, or other growing crops, all it is, is a plot of land abounding with beautiful pumpkins. Mike and Libby Pierce own the patch, which just so happens to be in their enormous front yard. It's obvious that this is not a business venture, because they love the pumpkins so much they are prone to naming them according to the pumpkins characteristics. Literary, history and film nerds will delight, as we did, at pumpkins like Caliban, Percival Lowell and Yojimbo. They grow only a few typical pumpkin varieties, but most of them are unique exotic varieties. So it is a fun experience to learn about these different pumpkins, and to see them in their natural growing environment. Don't stop by if you're in a hurry. If Libby is out there, she'll have a lot to say...basically whatever her mind takes her to. But it's never dull. She's a riot. They're only open until the 31st of this month, so hurry in. I was informed though, that in the spring artists are welcome to come in to paint, so I might be doing that as well...<br />Visit them! <a href="http://lavenderhillpumpkins.com/">Lavender Hill Pumpkins</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1oozRrkpx2o/TqrReoXDw0I/AAAAAAAABf4/kRhQqrCVco8/s1600/gorgeous-green-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1oozRrkpx2o/TqrReoXDw0I/AAAAAAAABf4/kRhQqrCVco8/s320/gorgeous-green-pumpkin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgDv01SP02k/TqrRguT85xI/AAAAAAAABgA/94lunfsG-EE/s1600/lavender-hill-pumpkins-billy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgDv01SP02k/TqrRguT85xI/AAAAAAAABgA/94lunfsG-EE/s320/lavender-hill-pumpkins-billy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pjIalcUFMU/TqrRi2BAfAI/AAAAAAAABgI/EWChshQHhgw/s1600/lavender-hill-pumpkins-rach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pjIalcUFMU/TqrRi2BAfAI/AAAAAAAABgI/EWChshQHhgw/s320/lavender-hill-pumpkins-rach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XPn6P1bRyw4/TqrRjpBKCeI/AAAAAAAABgQ/XU0ifW98MnM/s1600/orange-cinderella-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XPn6P1bRyw4/TqrRjpBKCeI/AAAAAAAABgQ/XU0ifW98MnM/s320/orange-cinderella-pumpkin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYLrQFIlQDc/TqrRl0aYwHI/AAAAAAAABgY/qE11u46ig8U/s1600/orange-pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYLrQFIlQDc/TqrRl0aYwHI/AAAAAAAABgY/qE11u46ig8U/s320/orange-pumpkins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UFsgUFKsU0/TqrRoDmuf8I/AAAAAAAABgg/cFG6D-cPPzs/s1600/orange-yellow-green-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UFsgUFKsU0/TqrRoDmuf8I/AAAAAAAABgg/cFG6D-cPPzs/s320/orange-yellow-green-pumpkin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8Omz_gD2_U/TqrRrPfqHcI/AAAAAAAABgo/mkyOjAu66hY/s1600/pumpkin-green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8Omz_gD2_U/TqrRrPfqHcI/AAAAAAAABgo/mkyOjAu66hY/s320/pumpkin-green.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQZNtwjKZg4/TqrRtTTWNDI/AAAAAAAABgw/2MYfjiYFQwg/s1600/pumpkins-butterfly-bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQZNtwjKZg4/TqrRtTTWNDI/AAAAAAAABgw/2MYfjiYFQwg/s320/pumpkins-butterfly-bush.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJKcd9xKLsM/TqrRv_YU1aI/AAAAAAAABg4/b7s_xK-OYQ4/s1600/pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJKcd9xKLsM/TqrRv_YU1aI/AAAAAAAABg4/b7s_xK-OYQ4/s320/pumpkins.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfP4oEmlBsQ/TqrRwhq2CHI/AAAAAAAABhA/hw6BSecLMCE/s1600/tall-green-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfP4oEmlBsQ/TqrRwhq2CHI/AAAAAAAABhA/hw6BSecLMCE/s320/tall-green-pumpkin.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZy1XYArdfs/TqrRxFZbtdI/AAAAAAAABhI/HIeSo2eVyIg/s1600/tall-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZy1XYArdfs/TqrRxFZbtdI/AAAAAAAABhI/HIeSo2eVyIg/s320/tall-pumpkin.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKSup_2g7Lo/TqrRdzeLwLI/AAAAAAAABfw/DqZlrorUsqY/s1600/billy-with-tall-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKSup_2g7Lo/TqrRdzeLwLI/AAAAAAAABfw/DqZlrorUsqY/s320/billy-with-tall-pumpkin.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyPotd1IHmU/TqrRxhEEhNI/AAAAAAAABhQ/EVIHFvkMyFc/s1600/white-small-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyPotd1IHmU/TqrRxhEEhNI/AAAAAAAABhQ/EVIHFvkMyFc/s320/white-small-pumpkin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8357223127544097222?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-80765980789089351242011-10-22T21:40:00.001-07:002011-10-28T09:08:30.451-07:00With great consideration, I have decided to create a new blog dedicated solely to cooking and baking. My first recipe posted is a delicious <a href="http://braumeisterswife.blogspot.com/2011/10/velvety-pumpkin-stew.html">Velvety Pumpkin Stew</a>, which is a Lindsey/Janice Schatzinger family recipe. My second recipe is <a href="http://braumeisterswife.blogspot.com/2011/10/pumpkin-creme-brulee.html">Pumpkin Creme Brulee</a>.<br /><br />We will post soon on here to keep you guys updated. New things to talk about, so hopefully soon.<br />Love R<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8076598078908935124?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-83035295724432604652011-09-21T23:00:00.001-07:002011-09-21T23:05:16.110-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been wanting to re-create this cute meringue idea I saw in a recent issue of <i>Bon Appetit</i>. I couldn&#39;t find the issue, of course, after I decided to try it out, so I had to settle on finding another recipe. I used the Better Homes and Garden&#39;s <i>New Cook Book</i>, the good old stand-by, for the entire recipe. I loved the opportunity I had to use my kitchen torch, but I think I will try another recipe next time for something less sugary. I know it&#39;s crazy to expect a dessert not-so-sugary, but I will keep searching for one. What this recipe did deliver though, was a great lemony-zesty punch, and the meringue was deliciously light and chewy all in one bite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-10Fpq_19bp8/TnqwfpsFMEI/AAAAAAAABT4/oEyw56IVuPw/s1600/lemon-meringue-side-pillow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-10Fpq_19bp8/TnqwfpsFMEI/AAAAAAAABT4/oEyw56IVuPw/s1600/lemon-meringue-side-pillow.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BpKvIM62Tk/TnqwieIay2I/AAAAAAAABUA/wm3p5WihmmU/s1600/lemon-meringue-with-lemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BpKvIM62Tk/TnqwieIay2I/AAAAAAAABUA/wm3p5WihmmU/s1600/lemon-meringue-with-lemon.jpg" style="cursor: move;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AzpPB1Rf1Q/Tnqwg7XL2GI/AAAAAAAABT8/-YsP3u5jNRM/s1600/lemon-meringue-toasted-points.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AzpPB1Rf1Q/Tnqwg7XL2GI/AAAAAAAABT8/-YsP3u5jNRM/s1600/lemon-meringue-toasted-points.jpg"></a></div><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/09/mini-lemon-meringue-with-torched-tops.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8303529572443260465?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-35620321329987120382011-09-14T11:39:00.001-07:002011-09-29T16:06:43.156-07:00I (Billy) have not posted here in a very long time. We&#39;ve been pretty busy as of late, but Rachel already filled everyone in on that. I&#39;m here - to talk about beer.<br>We just moved in with our great friends, Justin and Lindsey, and everyone has taken an avid interest in home brewing. Justin and our friend Jason decided, before we got here, that I was going to teach them all about brewing. So on 8/13 we started our first batch. It was a PM (partial mash) extract batch of a Belgian style IPA. We Amercanized this basic golden ale recipe with a little dry hopping to give it a slight US pale ale aroma. Well, here we are one month later and that batch is nearly gone. We have two bombers left and those will be cellared to try at a later date.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jygiAY355Ik/TnDlYXDg--I/AAAAAAAAACU/6nHHPPnCW9s/s1600/DSCN1806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jygiAY355Ik/TnDlYXDg--I/AAAAAAAAACU/6nHHPPnCW9s/s1600/DSCN1806.jpg"></a></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/09/california-brewing.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3562032132998712038?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>hexinductionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281127236966796683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-54360383000964586082011-09-08T23:14:00.002-07:002011-09-09T09:34:59.082-07:00After unpacking and settling in to new jobs, Billy and I haven&#39;t been able to be that creative in the kitchen as of late. Luckily, our friend Lindsey is quite the creative cook, and she offered to share her fondue night with us. It is a delicious meal, and a fun, interactive way to eat dinner. Lindsey and I have worked on writing out her recipes and methods for this post, so I hope you get to enjoy it as much as Billy and I were able to.<br><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JRoBtU5V44g/Tmmna8VV05I/AAAAAAAABTo/z-CVlhLbY6c/s1600/fondue-night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JRoBtU5V44g/Tmmna8VV05I/AAAAAAAABTo/z-CVlhLbY6c/s1600/fondue-night.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRk0xuIXUmA/TmmncZf15FI/AAAAAAAABTw/9fuFVWmN5qM/s1600/fondue-swiss-gruyere-sherry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRk0xuIXUmA/TmmncZf15FI/AAAAAAAABTw/9fuFVWmN5qM/s1600/fondue-swiss-gruyere-sherry.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/09/fondue-night-plus-peek-into-billys.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5436038300096458608?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-30734561969692345242011-09-02T11:20:00.000-07:002011-09-02T17:00:45.816-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although our prices have increased on our Etsy, we are still extending our discount to you, our family and friends. Our generic discount is 10%. If you want to know how good of price you can get above and beyond the generic discount, then please email, call, or message us. If the 10% sounds good to you, then remember to enter BNR4U as the coupon code when you are checking out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yeux-Paint/182051121851733">facebook</a>&nbsp;!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72967632/ocean-kids-acrylic-painting"><img border="0" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_170x135.239348905.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72946852/tuff-skin-acrylic-painting"><img border="0" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_170x135.239246244.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72944734/morning-breakfast-at-our-table-original"><img border="0" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_170x135.239243944.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/76269627/jonnie-dieg-in-fish-eye-vision-acrylic"><img border="0" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_170x135.251986195.jpg" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3073456196969234524?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-19589301834268767122011-08-31T23:34:00.002-07:002011-08-31T23:34:30.704-07:00Sorry for the silence. Billy and I have arrived safely and are pretty much settled in. I have officially one job at a Day Spa as a receptionist, and another job possibility for a later date. Billy is still searching for a full time job. I hope to get back to working on our blog and Etsy, but moving is taking a lot of time and energy as expected. So soon I hope, we'll be active on here again.<br />Some highlights-<br />-Church is great, loving being back.<br />-Saw one of our favorite bands (Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks) in Hollywood and while we were there got to hang out with the <a href="http://youtu.be/gHCU-UgkDVA">Wright Brothers</a>&nbsp;(watch this hilarious video they've recently been featured in).<br />-Went to the beach and hung out with Danny Peterson (+ his friends and family)<br />-hanging out with friends<br /><br />Need to-<br />see our family, Billy's uncle and aunt, and practically the rest of my family who live here.<br />start painting again and cooking/baking of course<br />apply for school Jan. semester<br />...consider if I am remembering everything.<br /><br />So I am thankful that I got hired so quickly, and that has been a blessing getting to make money almost immediately. I was honestly pretty emotional once we got here. We love our friends so much and the ideas of our goals (5 year plan it seems to be, as God leads), but it is super hard leaving family. So I have to keep my eyes on our goals and know that God has led us here with peace in our hearts, and obeying Him is way more important than making up my own way. So there you go, a few inward thoughts.<br />(I'm writing this right before bed so excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes.)<br />Thank you all for helping us along the way, we really appreciate it.<br />-R<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1958930183426876712?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-64728938138816727732011-08-20T07:45:00.000-07:002011-08-20T07:45:01.483-07:00Okay guys, we're heading out today! Please pray for our safety and for God's leading in the realm of jobs. &nbsp;Thanks so much. Hope to talk to you soon.<br />-the Roses<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6472893813881672773?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-90241848876599801752011-08-06T08:36:00.001-07:002011-08-06T08:42:44.838-07:00Hey family and friends,<br />We have some major updates in our lives. As some of you know, we have been wanting to move back to California for about a year or longer. We've been praying about it and have had some definite closed doors, but then some opened doors.<br />The background.<br />At first we were enthusiastically pursuing Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America for this current Fall semester, and <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/bay-and-valley.html">we were able to visit</a> the amazing campus and the amazing surrounding area (we loved San Fran, and the lush Napa Valley). Although we loved the idea of learning all about food and getting to have our own restaurant some day, a few concerns popped up immediately for me when we were visiting the campus back in March. Financially the school and other grants were only adding up to about a quarter of the costs, although we maintain high marks, which was discouraging. We also had to consider getting paid only about $10 an hour in a kitchen starting off right out of school, which hardly pays enough to pay back ($100,000 between the two of us for 2 years!!!), not to mention we get paid more than that at our current positions. My personal last concern was the fact that I do want to have kids within the next 3 to 5 years, which puts another reality check into place. If Billy and I need to make ends meet with kids, with a culinary background, I could easily see me working days, and him working nights, which equals grumpy Rachel, because I covet the evenings with my husband and especially time with the whole future family. Of course I'm sure these things are not or wouldn't be issues for other families, but these were the things weighing on me. We had to make a change of plans, and we were very discouraged about all of it.<br />All about school.<br />After just waiting in silence to hear from the Lord during a three month span, we started thinking of new possibilities. The ideas came in trickles, but it has all pulled together in some certain way. We have to admit we love food, the production of food, and the enjoyment we have when we get to share it with others. Billy has been home-brewing for a couple years now and we randomly looked up "beer careers". Immediately, the silence was breaking, and good ideas were forming. There are three Universities in the US that award a "Fermentation Science"degree, which specializes in beer, cheese, and wine (I know, the more we researched it, the more it sounded perfect for Billy). Locations include Michigan, Oregon, and California. We love Portland, Oregon, but Billy is kind and knows my desire to be close to my family, so we chose UC Davis, California, right outside of Sacramento. We also discovered that if you transfer from a California community college to a UC school, you can transfer immediately and be accepted, granted your GPA is maintained. You have precedence over kids right out of high school, which makes sense. We still need to finish up our Associates Degrees, so community college in Cali while we gain residency before transferring to UC Davis. For me, I am doing something a little more simple as of now. I will finish up my Associates Degree as well at community college in California, combine it with my associates of Theology, and Calvary Chapel Bible College uses both degrees to create a Bachelor's in Biblical Studies. If I want to continue school at University at that point, it will be at a much slower rate than Billy, but my goals are Fine Arts and Business. We would still love to own our own Bakery/Brewery, where we both get to use our favorite crafts. We'll see. It's all a tentative plan laid out before the Lord, because isn't that the most important thing in life? To be surrendered even when you think you have it all worked out. Things can change so fast, as we have realized, so it's best to keep an open heart. We are following these plans prayerfully, and walking if the doors are open, and waiting if the doors are closed. Just pray for us, we need it.<br />Most recent happenings.<br />On our path to these goals, we have some short term things happening too. We have been seeking jobs and a house in the Temecula/Fallbrook area since we realized we should go to community college first in California to gain residency. One of the biggest factors for us wanting to leave our beautiful state of Arizona (and my family, sadly), was that we miss our friends. So that's why we chose to go back to the Temecula area. We have been applying for jobs and seeking housing, and awesomely our friends, the Schatzingers, are allowing us to rent from them. So one hurdle out of the way, we have a landing pad. Which is so important. Please continue to pray for us for jobs. We have possible leads for employment but nothing solid yet.<br />A huge thing also happened last night. We became first time auto buyers! My parents are graciously helping us with finances towards the car, and they were really pushing for us to get a newer car since talk of moving to California began. We can now safely travel within the State of California, and also the trip back to see family and friends here in Arizona. Thanks parents.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OBIsvs_7w4o/Tj1e37ZmKiI/AAAAAAAABSo/9va5RbfJ69Q/s1600/new+car.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OBIsvs_7w4o/Tj1e37ZmKiI/AAAAAAAABSo/9va5RbfJ69Q/s320/new+car.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Call us if you have any questions, thanks for reading.<br />Love R<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-9024184887659980175?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-40540492341933561682011-07-28T19:02:00.001-07:002011-07-28T19:04:54.545-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my mom&#39;s birthday a few weeks ago, I wanted to make cute girly cupcakes. My mom loves pink, but she also adores chocolate, so I decided to make a layered cupcake combining a couple of her favorite things. The bottom layer is rich chocolate, and the top is moist strawberry. They paired super well together. I made the fresh strawberry jam from scratch, but you can always just use a store-bought strawberry jam. These delicious birthday treats were topped with cream cheese frosting infused with the fresh strawberry jam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHuufDmmvLM/Ti4h49l1jXI/AAAAAAAABSY/SkDiCrtqYuQ/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-layered-cupcake-pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHuufDmmvLM/Ti4h49l1jXI/AAAAAAAABSY/SkDiCrtqYuQ/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-layered-cupcake-pan.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w87hIED41Nw/Ti4h379DzNI/AAAAAAAABSU/1V-1qgjhyAs/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-cupcakes-with-fresh-strawberry-filling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w87hIED41Nw/Ti4h379DzNI/AAAAAAAABSU/1V-1qgjhyAs/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-cupcakes-with-fresh-strawberry-filling.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uADJhPu00Ik/Ti4hzsfFMRI/AAAAAAAABSE/m8Xt4pJCTyY/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-cupcakes-chocolate-shavings-decorate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uADJhPu00Ik/Ti4hzsfFMRI/AAAAAAAABSE/m8Xt4pJCTyY/s1600/strawberry-chocolate-cupcakes-chocolate-shavings-decorate.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/07/strawberry-and-chocolate-layered.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4054049234193356168?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-20383641204037371932011-07-13T20:40:00.001-07:002011-11-18T10:30:38.481-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my birthday a few weeks back, all I really wanted to do was bake. I love to bake and hardly do just for myself and Billy. So I asked my mom over to bake up two delicious cheesecakes. She has a great Espresso Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cheese Cake that she has always made since my sisters and I were little girls. She took on hers, and I took on a totally new and different recipe, Zoe Francois&#39; No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake. I really love how this recipe turned out, super delicious and bright. It was a great cheesecake to make in the heat of summer, no oven just the chill-factor. Also other reviewers of this recipe thought it was more like a Chiffon rather than cheesecake, but you can&#39;t deny the cream cheese flavor. Overall it&#39;s just really light and airy, with bright strawberry flavors, and oh to make things even better, the crust is pulled together by delicious Nutella. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1m9oL3hD9U/Th5d0RmH8JI/AAAAAAAABQw/-sR5CpnljIs/s1600/airy-light-strawberry-cheesecake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1m9oL3hD9U/Th5d0RmH8JI/AAAAAAAABQw/-sR5CpnljIs/s1600/airy-light-strawberry-cheesecake.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I-MLP4jOKF8/Th5d7PAowGI/AAAAAAAABRQ/xQNceP8RFIg/s1600/strawberry-topping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I-MLP4jOKF8/Th5d7PAowGI/AAAAAAAABRQ/xQNceP8RFIg/s1600/strawberry-topping.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/07/light-and-airy-summer-strawberry.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2038364120403737193?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-60962233487251771482011-07-13T18:09:00.000-07:002011-07-13T18:09:17.520-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I posted some new listings on Etsy. Hope you enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HuS_gIDp19M/Th5BMvVMrxI/AAAAAAAABQo/XtPS3EdU4ZU/s1600/old-sailor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HuS_gIDp19M/Th5BMvVMrxI/AAAAAAAABQo/XtPS3EdU4ZU/s1600/old-sailor.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%C2%A0http://www.etsy.com/listing/77520451/the-old-voyeur-charcoal-drawing?ref=v1_other_2">The Old Voyeur</a>&nbsp;by Billy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUJDrJOUvGc/Th5BNLACAFI/AAAAAAAABQs/jI6FlrARpAc/s1600/tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUJDrJOUvGc/Th5BNLACAFI/AAAAAAAABQs/jI6FlrARpAc/s1600/tomato.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/77753075/red-tomato-love-illustrationwatercolor">Red Tomato Love</a>&nbsp;by Rachel</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6096223348725177148?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-38080206467287041872011-07-11T13:58:00.000-07:002011-07-11T13:58:03.633-07:00My great, mechanically-savvy friends Chris and David King were over yesterday to take care of a few little issues on the bike and make sure no one would die on it. The&nbsp;&nbsp;electrical&nbsp;accessories are not wired up yet, but the basic harness has got the bike running. Here it is in less-than-full glory. haha:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-8dd6e31ce67fa675" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://v6.nonxt2.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D8dd6e31ce67fa675%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1329859625%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D544BC9AC1BBA1275F0866555300DEEDFBB3B28C7.336FC96E6DD1443DB4DD2BEE001CF9C28F4CF3F9%26key%3Dck1&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D8dd6e31ce67fa675%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DYqGZQ02-MaRQReNgHHwoxfCBoxo&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"flashvars="flvurl=http://v6.nonxt2.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D8dd6e31ce67fa675%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1329859625%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D544BC9AC1BBA1275F0866555300DEEDFBB3B28C7.336FC96E6DD1443DB4DD2BEE001CF9C28F4CF3F9%26key%3Dck1&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D8dd6e31ce67fa675%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DYqGZQ02-MaRQReNgHHwoxfCBoxo&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3808020646728704187?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-12762744246723327122011-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:002011-07-10T09:08:48.609-07:00So, we want to do a few prints of our art...a sort of trial run. We want some help deciding which pieces should be made into prints. So check out the art sections, in the tabs above, and our etsy shop @ <a href="http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint">http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;and leave a comment here telling us which pieces we should make prints of. Your help is greatly appreciated!<br />-B&amp;R<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1276274424672332712?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-63975864978116694182011-07-08T22:48:00.000-07:002011-07-08T22:48:26.304-07:00More updates to our new website. It's a veerryyy slow process. So hopefully it will look better and better as time goes on. Thanks for checking it out!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://yeuxpaint.com/">http://yeuxpaint.com</a></span></div><div style="text-align: auto;">Also, don't forget our friends and family discount on Etsy! Go to: <a href="http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint">http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint</a> and at checkout enter the code= BNR4U</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6397586497811669418?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-64766822987117082782011-06-22T21:18:00.003-07:002011-11-18T10:29:54.346-07:00With Billy&#39;s love for beer and brewing, I think that it has finally seeped its way into my heart as well, for its different beloved qualities. Although I can appreciate its different tastes, and notes, I still can&#39;t finish my own glass, its rather just sips and handing it back to my hunny. Since I don&#39;t drink it like a normal person, I still am fond of it and wanted to use it in something I&#39;d really appreciate. So I thought beer might be a great liquid substitution in cupcakes. And then the image in my February issue of Bon Apetit&#39;s <i>Chocolate Stout Float</i> popped into my mind. So I combined my wandering ideas (beer appreciation, cupcakes, stout ice cream float), and made Stout Float Cupcakes with Beer Syrup Drizzle.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgU-I2geaRc/TgKcV9MTobI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FV-psbmK1d8/s1600/beer-stout-float-cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgU-I2geaRc/TgKcV9MTobI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FV-psbmK1d8/s1600/beer-stout-float-cupcakes.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CEJXj7oolZI/TgKcUFh_FRI/AAAAAAAABLI/iIQxN9oT4mM/s1600/beer-stout-cupcake-bite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CEJXj7oolZI/TgKcUFh_FRI/AAAAAAAABLI/iIQxN9oT4mM/s1600/beer-stout-cupcake-bite.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/06/stout-float-cupcakes-with-beer-syrup.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6476682298711708278?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-53179961231929723132011-06-20T08:10:00.000-07:002011-06-20T08:10:14.972-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My dearest love,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have had such a wonderful two years together, and I pray for many more. Life is great being married to your best friend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X_oFpQANb-o/Tf9hmw_zI8I/AAAAAAAABK0/NFTmCH03owM/s1600/Rose_R22_0002409-R2-073-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X_oFpQANb-o/Tf9hmw_zI8I/AAAAAAAABK0/NFTmCH03owM/s400/Rose_R22_0002409-R2-073-35.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Love Always,<br />Mr. and Mrs. Rose<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5317996123192972313?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-30909133971053949342011-06-18T11:12:00.003-07:002011-06-19T08:50:06.068-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S_CfQNXjcJo/Tf4afeBeMBI/AAAAAAAABKU/GE4b9FVuzHM/s1600/yeux-web.jpg" /></div><br />Hello friends and family,<br />We have finally got the bare bones of our new website up and running. Its purpose is to have our art displayed in a comprehensive format. We still have to add the actual art, and what I do have is super minimal. But at least you can grasp the idea to see what we've been doing all this time. We are excited to say that we have completed a few different projects in regards to commission work, and are currently in the middle of a couple more. If you would like to contact us for commission work, please email us at: theyeux [at] gmail [dot] com. Thank you for supporting us and our art,<br />Billy and Rachel<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://yeuxpaint.com/">http://yeuxpaint.com</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">PS: Since we appreciate your blog patronage, Billy and I have created a coupon code for you on our Etsy Shop. By entering the code you will receive a 10% discount. Thanks for reading, we appreciate you!&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: auto;">Go to: <a href="http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint">http://etsy.com/shop/yeuxpaint</a>&nbsp;and at checkout enter the code= <b>BNR4U</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RNkSwZ2xNR0/Tf4aoabLsUI/AAAAAAAABKY/tYWvI5D8MEI/s1600/etsy.jpg" /></div><b><br /></b></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3090913397105394934?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-14259691284571396102011-06-12T16:36:00.002-07:002011-12-12T11:50:33.108-07:00A month ago we visited my sister in Phoenix, and she lives right next to the Chinese Cultural Center. So we took a spin through the market and bought a few things. Although Japanese Panko bread crumbs were one of our buys, we were excited about our other purchases mainly tamarind and coco-palm sugar. We cooked up a Thai storm, and weeks later rediscovered the panko bread crumbs. So, I wanted to make chicken parmesan- no, eggplant parmesan. We love eggplant in its many forms, if cooked right of course, and it is a great meat substitute (we eat about 1-2 vegetarian dinners a week). I wanted a unique recipe, and I couldn&#39;t find exactly what I wanted, so I went with my instincts on this one and it turned out fantastic! I hope if you try it that you get to make the balsamic glaze, because it really adds a tangy-zesty flavor at the end of a full, toasted flavor from the eggplant parmesan. We have used this balsamic glaze in other recipes (such as on these <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/apple-brie-crepes-with-vinagrette-syrup.html">crepes</a>), and it stays great in the fridge for whenever you need it.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiWvrZnkjkI/TfVFjuSOlJI/AAAAAAAABKI/KWLcUpF6Tuo/s1600/eggplant-parmesan-with-panko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiWvrZnkjkI/TfVFjuSOlJI/AAAAAAAABKI/KWLcUpF6Tuo/s1600/eggplant-parmesan-with-panko.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oowAAYaEhfI/TfY2UHqkn7I/AAAAAAAABKM/OMe511N7hxE/s1600/eggplant-parmesan-with-balsamic-glaze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oowAAYaEhfI/TfY2UHqkn7I/AAAAAAAABKM/OMe511N7hxE/s1600/eggplant-parmesan-with-balsamic-glaze.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/06/eggplant-parmesan-with-panko-bread.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1425969128457139610?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-5697565561167218782011-06-09T18:42:00.000-07:002011-06-09T18:42:24.652-07:00Billy's birthday is today! Happy birthday husband. Come home soon for presents and a good green curry!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-569756556116721878?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-73447681138111910392011-06-09T18:39:00.002-07:002011-06-10T07:19:09.251-07:00Moroccan Chicken has been one of Billy&#39;s favorite meals since we&#39;ve been married. I used to use <i>Everyday Food</i> frequently to help me learn how to menu plan, and the ingredients are very basic so that the meals are easy to put together for a beginner cook. I tried their recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Couscous, and it&#39;s been a hit ever since. It has a tomato base, with other vegetables, chicken, and a hint of honey. Sometimes I use tofu instead of chicken and that tastes amazing too. The couscous really balances out the dish and it is a nice change up from rice or regular pasta.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxWHDs2S2ZM/TfAus9AHeII/AAAAAAAABIY/9fDbz0XIezo/s1600/moroccan-chicken-couscous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxWHDs2S2ZM/TfAus9AHeII/AAAAAAAABIY/9fDbz0XIezo/s1600/moroccan-chicken-couscous.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/06/moroccan-chicken-with-couscous.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7344768113811191039?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-91011193196394027402011-06-06T21:08:00.000-07:002011-06-06T21:08:35.942-07:00I&#39;ve been on a mission to find a delicious caesar dressing for the past year, and after a couple less-than-par tries, I&#39;ve finally found it. I was willing to use anchovies and although I tried, it was just too overly salty for the first tries. So I stumbled upon a delicious take on caesar dressing from <i>Pioneer Woman Cooks</i>. I adapted her recipe for the croutons and the dressing, but I added grilled chicken and used my homemade bread instead of store bought.<br><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78sAogay-Ac/Teb3MtlhPzI/AAAAAAAABIM/olYrbochdmA/s1600/chicken-caesar-salad-homemade-croutons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78sAogay-Ac/Teb3MtlhPzI/AAAAAAAABIM/olYrbochdmA/s1600/chicken-caesar-salad-homemade-croutons.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/06/grilled-chicken-caesar-salad-with.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-9101119319639402740?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-2170141471273980202011-05-31T07:08:00.000-07:002011-05-31T07:08:03.328-07:00We are excited about our new postcards. We are selling them in fours of four different paintings, and also four of each individual painting. It's a great way to have inexpensive prints of our art too!<br /><br />To see listing go here: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/75075761/art-print-postcard-set">http://www.etsy.com/listing/75075761/art-print-postcard-set</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_570xN.247923653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_570xN.247923653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Art print postcards, set of four. Four high-quality printed postcards, of four different paintings by Billy and Rachel Rose.<br />Set includes:<br />"Still Life with Onion, Beer and Lemons" original painting by Rachel Rose 2011<br />"Le Cafe" original painting by Rachel Rose 2010<br />"Kip (Washed Up Hot Hand)" original painting by Billy Rose 2011<br />"The Jazz Messenger" original painting by Billy Rose 2010<br /><br />These are an inexpensive collectable set of prints that would be great for snail mail or for framing!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-217014147127398020?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-28851603170409389582011-05-26T20:25:00.002-07:002011-05-26T20:36:18.103-07:00I love cream. But only once in a while will I make this delectable dish. Fettuccine Alfredo was one of the first things I learned how to cook, thus I made it a lot when I was living on my own in Kauai. I learned by the end of the semester that I probably shouldn&#39;t eat it as much as I had been, thus it has become a once in awhile treat (that we savor oh so dearly). I use different sauteed vegetables for this dish, sometimes spinach or asparagus, but the one pictured here features Brussels Sprouts. A lot of people don&#39;t like them, but I was raised eating these vitamin-packed little things. Growing up my grandma and my mom use to boil them and serve them with melted butter, since cooking them for myself, I brown them in butter on the stove top and finish them off with minced garlic.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-taTV3Ck754c/Td798bmpVWI/AAAAAAAABHY/FY0kyidmwu4/s1600/fettucini-alfredo-with-browned-brussels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-taTV3Ck754c/Td798bmpVWI/AAAAAAAABHY/FY0kyidmwu4/s1600/fettucini-alfredo-with-browned-brussels.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXc2NvN9z64/Td7-AeAM3yI/AAAAAAAABHc/PGz_XJRPVPk/s1600/close-up-fettucini-alfredo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXc2NvN9z64/Td7-AeAM3yI/AAAAAAAABHc/PGz_XJRPVPk/s1600/close-up-fettucini-alfredo.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/creamy-fettucini-alfredo-with-browned.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2885160317040938958?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-41021939705570138522011-05-23T15:56:00.003-07:002011-05-23T18:39:48.663-07:00<div>Some of you may be curious how we plan our meals in reference to diet. Billy and I (and select friends, <i>Amanda, Melinda...</i>) incorporate certain fats into our diets that many other people are in complete avoidance of. Billy and I think it is healthy to eat greens as much as possible, but we also think it's healthy to eat whole grains, and animal products, including fats. There are a few people out there who have been published who support this idea, but to keep it easy I have just referenced one doctor in particular. Dr. Thomas Cowan, of <a href="http://fourfoldhealing.com/getting-started-with-nourishing-traditions/">four fold healing</a>, is pretty much along the same lines as us. We don't follow his every recommendation, but we like a lot of it, and we do feel a lot healthier. It seems like common sense, to eat balanced, and it definitely is not a diet as some would say to lose weight. It is for promoting healthy bodies, including brain function, digestion, and even clearer complexions. Here is a rough list of what we like from his recommendations:</div><div>-balance the three groups: whole grains, vegetables, and animal product (raw milk/butter/meats/eggs/etc.).</div><div>-eat three meals a day, nutrient rich, balanced (grain/vegetable/animal product)</div><div>-eat minimally processed and refined foods&nbsp;</div><div>-try to eat organic animal products, no nitrates in meat</div><div>-minimal soy and artificial sweeteners, as these both restrict nutrient absorption and digestion. (Although I love tofu, I eat it as a treat on occasion.)</div><div>-fermented products are helpful for everything from better digestion to a clearer complexion. (I need to work on incorporating this one into our diet, he recommends certain fermented drinks and foods.)</div><div>The idea of fat being good for you seems crazy these days, but we can attest to how much we feel better on many levels from having these fats incorporated into our diets now. Here is a snippet from Dr. Thomas Cowan that explains it really well:</div>"Animal foods [raw milk, butter, etc.] provide certain nutrients, such as vitamin B-12, cholesterol (necessary for hormone production and cellular repair), vitamin D (needed for calcium absorption) and fat-soluble vitamins, which are best absorbed when eaten in animal fat. Certainly, temporary periods without animal products can be cleansing, but all of the healthiest cultures ever studied included a liberal amount of animal products in their diets."<br /><div>"Also, it is especially important to choose organically grown animal products raised under the best conditions possible, prepared with minimal processing. <b>This includes avoiding techniques that remove the fat, such as in skim milk or low-fat dairy products. The fat contains the necessary nutrients for absorption and utilization of the nutrients, including the protein and minerals. Do not make the mistake of eating low-fat animal products!</b>"<br /><div><div><i>Reference: </i><a href="http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/12/30/diet-and-nutrition/"><i>http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/12/30/diet-and-nutrition/</i></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It is important to note that Billy and I eat certain calorie rich foods (such as fats and oils) but we eat it in moderation. We believe that it is actually helpful for properly functioning bodies. We have a plate of food and if we are satisfied then we are done. We avoid stuffing ourselves. We just try to eat balanced, and we are against the "politically correct diet" of no-fat/low-fat. We think it is healthy to have the fat found originally in the product, so that nutrients absorb correctly, and so that we have great digestion. Doesn't every body want that? Also, another note about our diet is that we are not completely strict, we do eat products outside of the three main groups, but again it is in moderation.</div><div>An important thing to consider when it comes to health, is to not forsake being active. Being active goes hand in hand with our lifestyle. We do work out at least a couple times a week, and walk or hike even more. Billy is managing his workouts around muscle building and trimming, whereas I manage mine around being tone. It is important to balance your life and to not crash diet, or limit food intake. You need nutrients to function properly from your mind to the basics of digestion. If you want to lose weight, four fold healing has great suggestions. I cannot know what is perfectly right for you, so research and read up on it and decide what is right for you. Be educated before you follow certain diet trends. Just because a diet promises you'll lose weight, does not mean it is the healthiest for your body. Usually a gradual diet change (following the three main food groups above, and decreasing refined flours and sugars) and increase of exercise will help you to attain a healthy body weight. Be healthy and balanced (and do your own research!).</div><div>Billy and I also know that diet and exercise alone cannot make a person whole. You need to be fed spiritually, understanding the Word of God, and reading it for yourself. Fearing God is important, as I've seen too many people who say they believe in Him, yet they do not fear Him, thus live their life according to their own ways, not surrendering all of themselves to Christ. In every part of our lives, we should ask ourselves if it belongs to God first, before our own desires or wants.</div><div>As Christians we don't want to be ignorant of the importance of being healthy and honoring the bodies God has given us, but we also don't want to become overly concerned with our outward appearances. Just balance, you know? We are all learning along the way about these things, and by God's grace we hope to be honoring to Him through it all.&nbsp;</div><div>Thanks for reading,&nbsp;</div><div>Rachel</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4102193970557013852?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-87380032468564319312011-05-23T07:31:00.003-07:002011-05-23T11:11:13.874-07:00Billy and I have been working on our Etsy store to get all of our art up and ready to be sold. We have a ton stored up, and even more being created on a weekly basis. We would love to get it into your hands, so that you can have some art that is affordable, most-likely colorful, and uniquely created by your friends the Roses. Here are some recent pieces we've posted on Etsy:<br />Billy's<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3x0IlM_lLM/TdZ39bc7YiI/AAAAAAAABGo/z4orYsoxNNQ/s1600/DSCN1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3x0IlM_lLM/TdZ39bc7YiI/AAAAAAAABGo/z4orYsoxNNQ/s320/DSCN1322.JPG" width="250" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74432250/something-like-stein-with-a-stye">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74432250/something-like-stein-with-a-stye</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9iPK1NgzYU/TdZ4Ef5WpsI/AAAAAAAABGs/SFTnWt3Dv5Q/s1600/DSCN1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9iPK1NgzYU/TdZ4Ef5WpsI/AAAAAAAABGs/SFTnWt3Dv5Q/s320/DSCN1325.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74433429/still-life-with-pipe-tin-and-beer">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74433429/still-life-with-pipe-tin-and-beer</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: auto;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MRzBGsO9Pl0/TdZ4WiQ-h6I/AAAAAAAABG8/IXJBhuww1K4/s1600/DSCN1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MRzBGsO9Pl0/TdZ4WiQ-h6I/AAAAAAAABG8/IXJBhuww1K4/s320/DSCN1353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74435622/mr-moore-yr-eternal">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74435622/mr-moore-yr-eternal</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_oW_PX7Yc4U/TdZ5N3vnY7I/AAAAAAAABHA/8cfjkiKJ-zg/s1600/DSCN1303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_oW_PX7Yc4U/TdZ5N3vnY7I/AAAAAAAABHA/8cfjkiKJ-zg/s320/DSCN1303.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73966533/whats-wrong-with-yr-legs-young-mod">http://www.etsy.com/listing/73966533/whats-wrong-with-yr-legs-young-mod</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Rachel's<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPXY-dRt28o/TdZ5ZNmeMEI/AAAAAAAABHE/KY7WhTRch64/s1600/DSCN1345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPXY-dRt28o/TdZ5ZNmeMEI/AAAAAAAABHE/KY7WhTRch64/s320/DSCN1345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74512187/hand-with-shadows">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74512187/hand-with-shadows</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LtAsdVGjYd4/TdZ4NK6QSlI/AAAAAAAABG4/cBC-9XHB9bo/s1600/DSCN1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LtAsdVGjYd4/TdZ4NK6QSlI/AAAAAAAABG4/cBC-9XHB9bo/s320/DSCN1350.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74434676/still-life-with-vegetables-pipe-and-beer">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74434676/still-life-with-vegetables-pipe-and-beer</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9UDXS5ZClb8/TdZ5mlyDRdI/AAAAAAAABHM/8d_Ae8ir_aY/s1600/DSCN1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9UDXS5ZClb8/TdZ5mlyDRdI/AAAAAAAABHM/8d_Ae8ir_aY/s320/DSCN1346.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74657171/young-mother-in-mexico?ref=em">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74657171/young-mother-in-mexico</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVU36y689B8/TdZ5u0N-G7I/AAAAAAAABHQ/iD713Jx6ti0/s1600/DSCN1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVU36y689B8/TdZ5u0N-G7I/AAAAAAAABHQ/iD713Jx6ti0/s320/DSCN1347.JPG" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74656030/got-the-joy-of-jesus">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74656030/got-the-joy-of-jesus</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTzPVLGxgk8/TdZ534mjjGI/AAAAAAAABHU/kNIMwgCIL_c/s1600/DSCN1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTzPVLGxgk8/TdZ534mjjGI/AAAAAAAABHU/kNIMwgCIL_c/s320/DSCN1349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74652910/the-boat-rower">http://www.etsy.com/listing/74652910/the-boat-rower</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8738003246856431931?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-57489900203155578942011-05-16T10:22:00.001-07:002011-05-16T10:25:11.453-07:00I love learning about new vegetables and how to prepare them. Especially when they&#39;re linked with something I love so much such as Mexican Cuisine. Now, however much enchiladas (casserole style) have been Americanized, I still love them and crave them. We eat them at least a couple times a month in our house, and enchilada leftovers are coveted. <i>Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas</i> are a treat enchilada for us because of the long process, which usually takes me 2 hours start to finish. I have also made more true-to-Mexico- enchiladas, which I&#39;ve learned how to make from my friend Lynette, where you dip the tortilla in your prepared sauce, fill it, top it, and serve it. No baking. They are also amazing. As much as I love that style, I always revert to the way I&#39;ve grown up, eating casserole style enchiladas. Now, for my newly adopted vegetable: Tomatillos.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlj2OL_s5Ao/TdFIEYZyp8I/AAAAAAAABF0/r29ym78IMcc/s1600/green-tomatillos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlj2OL_s5Ao/TdFIEYZyp8I/AAAAAAAABF0/r29ym78IMcc/s1600/green-tomatillos.jpg"></a></div>Tomatillos are my essential secret weapon for my green chile sauce for these enchiladas. Since I live in Arizona they are readily available for me at my Farmer&#39;s Market and the regular Grocery Store.<br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/green-chile-chicken-enchiladas.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5748990020315557894?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-13457082728312247792011-05-14T13:53:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:28:07.388-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.com/J-R-Watkins-Lotion-Lemon-Cream/dp/B001OHSXCK?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">J.R. Watkins Lemon Cream Lotion</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B001OHSXCK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1"> and the other morning while using it, the lemon scent was so distinct I couldn&#39;t help but keep on envisioning Lemon Bread. I wanted to eat it. I also remembered that I should finish up my California-fresh lemons from Oma&#39;s house. So at that point I wanted to not just eat it (Lemon Bread), but that I might as well make it from scratch. I usually don&#39;t make quick breads although I know how popular they are. I like yeasted breads and the longer processes- maybe because it seems more sophisticated. But after making this quick bread, I realized how perfect they are for breakfast or a quick treat. This lemon drenched bread is a good recipe because it isn&#39;t too sweet, and the lemon flavor really rings true in the finished product.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fV2ho1qd_Pw/Tc7i7fc04oI/AAAAAAAABFk/koihIc_sKBI/s1600/lemon-bread-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fV2ho1qd_Pw/Tc7i7fc04oI/AAAAAAAABFk/koihIc_sKBI/s1600/lemon-bread-1.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/moist-and-tangy-lemon-drenched-bread.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1345708272831224779?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-8127389647105267562011-05-09T09:47:00.003-07:002011-09-06T08:42:00.205-07:00I am trying to create meals that are easy on the budget, yet satisfying. As I&#39;ve mentioned before, Billy doesn&#39;t usually like soup as the main meal, but this one received all praises, and we didn&#39;t feel like we lacked a thing. Rich, velvety, cheesy, and just plain ol&#39; satisfying. Creamy Baked Potato soup is based on my other recipe <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/potato-cheese-and-bacon-soup.html">Potato Cheese and Bacon Soup</a>, but we swapped out some ingredients for this one such as using baked potatoes and ham from Easter. It took less time using the leftover baked potatoes, and the ham was such a nice substantial substitute for bacon. I&#39;m also into hot sauce lately when it comes to making soup, so adjust it to your taste bud&#39;s liking.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3eUE8CoNFGk/TcgSzhg7mwI/AAAAAAAABEo/918yqzbwi8I/s1600/creamy-baked-potato-soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3eUE8CoNFGk/TcgSzhg7mwI/AAAAAAAABEo/918yqzbwi8I/s1600/creamy-baked-potato-soup.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/creamy-baked-potato-soup.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-812738964710526756?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-48078471447954021962011-05-06T17:32:00.000-07:002011-05-06T17:32:49.326-07:00We worked on some paintings, and here is what happened:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YH8L4GhDivo/TcNTpftJFVI/AAAAAAAABEg/CiDBxp6lzH0/s1600/DSCN1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YH8L4GhDivo/TcNTpftJFVI/AAAAAAAABEg/CiDBxp6lzH0/s400/DSCN1259.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel's. On <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73530620/still-life-with-onion-lemons-beer-and">Etsy</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzgevjwY2ow/TcSStTvHwDI/AAAAAAAABEk/D6jPDo4DlT4/s1600/DSCN1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzgevjwY2ow/TcSStTvHwDI/AAAAAAAABEk/D6jPDo4DlT4/s400/DSCN1257.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy's. On <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73530103/cb?ref=v1_other_2">Etsy</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4807847144795402196?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-58083593854005979912011-05-04T20:11:00.003-07:002011-05-16T10:28:54.350-07:00<div><span id="goog_1103675745"></span><span id="goog_1103675746"></span></div>I love sourdough and wasn&#39;t sure why there wasn&#39;t a unique recipe for it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</a>. After re-reading the intro of the book, I came across their &quot;lazy sourdough&quot; method, just a little side note in the margin. It seemed too easy, but after researching sourdough, I realized I was already doing the work that normal sourdough requires, which is what the book is all about: the method of pre-rise, and storing it in the fridge for up to a couple weeks. I would like to try out the normal way of creating sourdough, and hopefully I will soon, but this was a nice introduction to getting tangier tastes from my fridge-stored dough. So the big secret is....<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg"></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNRQBtPwDI0/TcIRnBjTzfI/AAAAAAAABEU/EY1UPRHxO84/s1600/lazy-sourdough-boule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/lazy-sourdough-boule.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5808359385400597991?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-54299962625313850472011-05-02T20:27:00.003-07:002011-05-16T10:29:19.818-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another job for the &quot;Designated Baker&quot; at work. Sylvia&#39;s birthday was last week and she requested I make her chocolate cream puffs. With delight I baked up a batch of mini puffs and split the cream two ways. One for the requested chocolate, and the other for the lemon which I was just curious about, and wanted to try. I have made these cream puffs before and <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/cream-puffs-with-chocolate-whipped.html">posted</a> about it, but this time around I did it a little different. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INxNudFrvEE/TcIlcerhnKI/AAAAAAAABEc/SOWKa19zoGo/s1600/cream-puff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INxNudFrvEE/TcIlcerhnKI/AAAAAAAABEc/SOWKa19zoGo/s1600/cream-puff.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/05/cream-puffs-with-lemon-zested-and-rich.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5429996262531385047?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-8024720874105327342011-05-01T08:40:00.002-07:002011-05-01T08:41:45.771-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I painted this yesterday afternoon, of the items on our table. I think it would be perfect for decorating a kitchen. It is acrylic with gel medium. If you like it I priced it reasonably, check it out on etsy at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73234610/lemon-bowl-with-wine-and-herbs?ref=pr_shop">YeuxPaint</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Rachel</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BETWyTqtZ8s/Tb1-I3YGVuI/AAAAAAAABDo/Tfb375f7n_8/s1600/lemon-with-wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BETWyTqtZ8s/Tb1-I3YGVuI/AAAAAAAABDo/Tfb375f7n_8/s400/lemon-with-wine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to see larger image</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-802472087410532734?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-28846302380192021892011-04-28T18:35:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:29:42.763-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since the weather is warming up, Billy and I have been wanting lighter meals. I thought a spinach salad would be great topped with grilled chicken, and went to my old stand by. This is actually the first meal we served to guests (<a href="http://pharmfreshrecipes.blogspot.com/">Jeff and Amanda McKie</a>), back before we were married. It is a recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, but I am unsure of the specific issue. It is a crisp salad served with many different flavors and textures... and quick at that. Spinach salad with toasted pepita, dried cranberries, topped with grilled chicken and brie toasts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATQIBoJ6oTk/TboPRiTCMXI/AAAAAAAABDY/Pbd9ALcb9u8/s1600/spinach-pepita-salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATQIBoJ6oTk/TboPRiTCMXI/AAAAAAAABDY/Pbd9ALcb9u8/s1600/spinach-pepita-salad.jpg"></a></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATQIBoJ6oTk/TboPRiTCMXI/AAAAAAAABDY/Pbd9ALcb9u8/s1600/spinach-pepita-salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a><br><br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/spinach-with-grilled-chicken-champagne.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2884630238019202189?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-49897155058518783042011-04-27T11:30:00.002-07:002011-04-27T21:18:51.454-07:00We&#39;ve been doing a lot lately. A lot of thinking about our future and what God has for us, which seems daunting yet exciting all in one... We just returned from a quick weekend trip... and we have started an Etsy account, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/YeuxPaint">YeuxPaint</a>, selling our art. Here are some photos of our California trip. It was kind of a fly-by trip, but we&#39;ll return soon to see everyone we didn&#39;t get to see this time around.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oh6xEJv7EjU/TbhZeOgBgpI/AAAAAAAABBw/XJ2Qs1bUvxs/s1600/billy-drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oh6xEJv7EjU/TbhZeOgBgpI/AAAAAAAABBw/XJ2Qs1bUvxs/s1600/billy-drive.jpg"></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tx_IlnNIqEQ/TbhZmY3ILvI/AAAAAAAABCM/gkAqEWUBlDk/s1600/down-mtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tx_IlnNIqEQ/TbhZmY3ILvI/AAAAAAAABCM/gkAqEWUBlDk/s1600/down-mtn.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steep desert grade</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div><div></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/weve-been-doing-lot-lately.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4989715505851878304?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-69046603768504085452011-04-27T10:11:00.004-07:002011-12-12T11:54:08.970-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple of weeks ago I made some apple and brie crepes for breakfast. I used a little different recipe than our usual <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/08/crepes-delicieux-polachinga.html">crepe recipe</a>. Instead I used a recipe for blintzes from our old Heritage cookbook (Rachel wrote about it <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-recipe-books-from-our-kitchen.html">here</a>) I think either recipe would work well. The Blintzes are a little airier and come out with a little crunch on the end. Having recently returned from our open house at the Culinary Institute of America, I utilized a little sweet vinaigrette syrup recipe that one of the Master Chefs taught us up there. These were so good, we scarfed them down before I realized we didn&#39;t take any photos, so this was actually a prop crepe, hence it&#39;s flatness...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nni8rQg_je8/TbhBJfjDYaI/AAAAAAAABBo/eosKLOVPoI0/s1600/apple-brie-crepe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nni8rQg_je8/TbhBJfjDYaI/AAAAAAAABBo/eosKLOVPoI0/s1600/apple-brie-crepe.jpg"></a></div><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/apple-brie-crepes-with-vinagrette-syrup.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6904660376850408545?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-47357238045423126272011-04-19T18:32:00.003-07:002011-05-16T10:30:26.907-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I love Green Tea for a lot of reasons. Yeah there are the health benefits, which I do up the Green Tea intake when I&#39;m coming down with a cold, but there are also the aesthetics of the whole process and the beautiful green liquid itself. I decided to share with you the process Billy and I go through when preparing Green Tea for ourselves. It is a little more than just steeping a tea bag in boiling water. If you have access to a good loose leaf Green Tea and a Green Tea pot, preferably, than you&#39;ll have fun doing it this way. It&#39;s a perfected ritual, although in our household I&#39;m sure we&#39;re missing a few steps important to other green tea enthusiasts. But here is the basic rundown.<br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RGBdpEXmH68/Ta4tCKDLg8I/AAAAAAAABA0/KhKAZjTuR0E/s1600/green-tea-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RGBdpEXmH68/Ta4tCKDLg8I/AAAAAAAABA0/KhKAZjTuR0E/s1600/green-tea-1+copy.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">#1 Boil water and pour into another open container to cool, such as in this photo with the <br>heat tempered carafe.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/green-tea-afternoon.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4735723804542312627?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-39219900110247070212011-04-13T09:54:00.007-07:002011-05-16T10:30:47.545-07:00Billy and I love this Carnitas Recipe. We&#39;ve eaten it as is for tacos, but also have used it for recipes such as <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/substantial-and-extra-dressy-chili-and.html">Carnitas Chili</a> and <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/southwest-savory-bread-pudding.html">Southwest Savory Bread Pudding</a>. Since we have just made this crock pot carnitas again, I took some more pictures of the process, with a few adjustments to the recipe.<br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWWVIxWrbIk/TaXPFIa7LfI/AAAAAAAAA_g/meOMju-xs8I/s1600/carnitas-sourcream+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWWVIxWrbIk/TaXPFIa7LfI/AAAAAAAAA_g/meOMju-xs8I/s1600/carnitas-sourcream+copy.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only ate one taco so I had to make the sour cream count ;)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/crock-pot-pork-carnitas-tacos.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3921990011024707021?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-74739613005680273282011-04-12T19:11:00.007-07:002012-01-13T16:06:48.563-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJ0N6LczoWA/TaT7DIKNq9I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/kM9DSptmT3I/s1600/boule-interior-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJ0N6LczoWA/TaT7DIKNq9I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/kM9DSptmT3I/s1600/boule-interior-1.jpg"></a></div>I&#39;ve been working on my <i>Boule</i> skills since I received the <i>Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</i> book. I have not been satisfied with my Boule&#39;s end results, so I gave up on it quickly at the beginning of my bread making education. I skipped to easier breads (at least easier to me), <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/olive-oil-bread-with-olives-and-garlic.html">Olive Oil Doughs</a> with pizza and pita, and <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/cinnamon-caramel-rolls.html#more">Brioche</a>, the delectable dessert savvy bread. I finally decided that I needed to conquer this &quot;simple&quot; dough and proceeded with much research and trial and error. I went through a batch of dough without any success, the crust was perfect but the interior crumb was dense without holes, and it was dry. I needed to figure it out. I proceeded to make another batch of dough, and began my research. I researched it on the recipe book&#39;s website, where they are completely <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-dense-crumb">helpful and sweet</a>, and I figured out some techniques to improve my bread&#39;s overall texture and interior crumb. I threw out the kneading all together, and followed the suggestion of forming the ball of dough and letting it rise in the fridge all day before baking. &quot;Wow&quot; is all I can say. The same great crust, but the interior was the best I had ever produced. It was perfectly full of holes, bragging of its moist interior.<br></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/simple-yet-versatile-boule.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7473961300568027328?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-59431417978052253392011-04-09T11:46:00.008-07:002011-05-16T10:32:53.273-07:00A co-worker, Julie, had a birthday this week. Besides being the shop&#39;s <i>Designated Baker</i>, I love having an excuse to bake sweet things. I bake bread all month long, but cakes and cupcakes are special. Carrot cake seems to be a favorite among the ladies I work with, especially my mother. I never really cared for it all these years of it being my mom&#39;s favorite, but this last birthday at work seemed to bring out a craving I had never had before. I wanted to make carrot cake, or really carrot cupcakes. Something about the moistness and heartiness of it was making me change my mind, and quickly. I went to my favorite recipe, which I&#39;ve only used once before, but had great results: <i>Mrs. Fields Cookie Book</i>, Carrot Cake.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg"></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxfjCtMGj6o/TaOfBKN5_AI/AAAAAAAAA_E/SJtG58QOyTo/s1600/carrot-cupcake-lemonwedge+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/fruity-carrot-cupcakes-with-lemon.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5943141797805225339?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-80194814321258442732011-04-07T17:11:00.004-07:002011-04-09T11:47:55.517-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>...That I remember, at least. Rachel started this painting probably about 7 months ago. I had been hounding Rachel to do a collaborative piece with me for years. While taking out approximately a billion painting from the closet I came across one unfinished painting. I asked her to finish it, because it was so good. Well, I guess she had no desire to whatsoever, so she told me to finish it adding, "it'll be that collaborative piece you wanted." So I finished it...and I hope we do more!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIhlAZQGF0k/TZ5SUJdLcUI/AAAAAAAAA94/KJjw6jxxay4/s1600/DSCN1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIhlAZQGF0k/TZ5SUJdLcUI/AAAAAAAAA94/KJjw6jxxay4/s400/DSCN1011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br />Since we have been rifling through our art we are continuing to add pieces to our art pages, check&nbsp;<a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/p/artwork-by-rachel.html">Rachel's art page</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/p/artwork-by-billy.html">My art page</a>&nbsp;here.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8019481432125844273?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-67169184049800821862011-04-05T21:21:00.013-07:002011-05-16T10:33:24.919-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was our Sunday night meal. Very simple, and a nice break from our more time consuming dinner projects. Maybe not the healthiest thing, but so satisfying nonetheless. I&#39;ve been in love with artichoke dip lately, and finally we were able to make it at home with a meal. It is surprisingly simple to make. The meal we based it around was soup. And soup as a stand-alone meal doesn&#39;t fly with Billy (although it does with me, but here is a thing we compromise on), so I thought to add quesadillas.. and then the beloved artichoke dip.. and then why not more chips for dipping? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfdldQlLSu0/TZu446RcS0I/AAAAAAAAA9c/-9bfagjLocQ/s1600/black-bean-soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfdldQlLSu0/TZu446RcS0I/AAAAAAAAA9c/-9bfagjLocQ/s1600/black-bean-soup.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Black Bean soup is based on an <i>Everyday Food</i> recipe (which is actually a great bean <i>dip</i> as we&#39;ve found out), the quesadillas my own, and the artichoke dip with a kick belongs to Alton Brown. We loved it for dinner, but we also loved it for snacking the next day, as we had a bit left over. The soup became (as I mentioned before) a great bean dip although it definitely works as a flavorful, easy-to-make soup.</div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/black-bean-soup-with-qeusadillas-and.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6716918404980082186?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-88669758142684892972011-04-03T00:14:00.007-07:002011-04-11T16:42:07.762-07:00Well it took us forever, but Rachel and I painted together tonight. This is a rarer occasion than either of us would like, because the proverbial <i>inspirato </i>hits at different times. But we had fun tonight and I think it was productive<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jcpVCeC-ypA/TZiYs0gGwnI/AAAAAAAAA5o/zf6vsH9mwQA/s1600/DSCN0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jcpVCeC-ypA/TZiYs0gGwnI/AAAAAAAAA5o/zf6vsH9mwQA/s400/DSCN0928.JPG" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel's</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1Cy4Jvv4ds/TZgd_J2hnsI/AAAAAAAAA5k/B-vuu2UEMNY/s1600/DSCN0921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1Cy4Jvv4ds/TZgd_J2hnsI/AAAAAAAAA5k/B-vuu2UEMNY/s400/DSCN0921.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all a pretty good Saturday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Billy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8866975814268489297?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-79880187026283733762011-03-30T11:54:00.001-07:002011-03-30T11:59:29.494-07:00Hello Readers,<br />The other night Billy and I were drawing together, and we came up with this idea to do a hand drawn background for our blog. We were inspired by generic backgrounds given by blogger, but as you know us, we had to do our own unique spin on it. So I looked around our house and drew up some small clip art type images. Dutch oven, whisk, beer bottle, and steak in a pan. We think it's funny and helps to "brand" our blog. Hope you guys like it too :)<br />Some other updates include that we are working on a website too, pertaining to these ideas on our blog, primarily art and cooking. We are considering design elements and trying to structure the format, so it will take us a little while to get that up and running. Hopefully once our site is up it will be easy for the viewer to look at our art and be able to purchase it easier than our format here on blogger. Thanks to our friends and family who continue to support our art by taking them into your own collections! We love to have it in your hands.<br />Update by&nbsp;Rachel<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s1600/DSCN0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s200/DSCN0679.JPG" width="153" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/help-me-make-some-space.html">Hands by Billy</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7988018702628373376?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-56676099356125763812011-03-30T10:27:00.003-07:002011-04-05T20:32:33.356-07:00Billy and I have been hiking every chance we get. For some reason, after living here for years we are just now discovering the beautiful trails of Prescott, AZ. These specific trails (Flume and Over the Hill) are in the Dells, just after Watson Lake. Flume Trail is beautiful. It has two ways to get down to the creek, and to the wall of Watson Dam.  Once you get to the bottom at the Dam, cross the creek and follow the trail up to Over the Hill Trail, which will actually connect you to P-Vine Trail. We haven&#39;t gone that far yet, but would like to take the back way so we can explore those trails more.<br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8rL-J01uYzQ/TZNh1NgM7KI/AAAAAAAAA4E/1dgjhXgl4aw/s1600/flume-trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8rL-J01uYzQ/TZNh1NgM7KI/AAAAAAAAA4E/1dgjhXgl4aw/s400/flume-trail.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of Flume Trail to the left. The right trail takes you down <br>through the Dells, and connects back to Flume at the bottom.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePigAaHUbxA/TZNh5zMzpuI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/uS3AU7KqaJE/s1600/map-close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePigAaHUbxA/TZNh5zMzpuI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/uS3AU7KqaJE/s400/map-close-up.jpg" width="290"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail Head map of Flume Trail connecting to Over the Hill Trail.<br><br></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_1l9iw3Psa0/TZNhwDNIk2I/AAAAAAAAA34/DAZbe-HNqmo/s1600/flume-trail-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_1l9iw3Psa0/TZNhwDNIk2I/AAAAAAAAA34/DAZbe-HNqmo/s400/flume-trail-1.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green along Flume</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/flume-trail-to-overhill-trail.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5667609935612576381?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-7993546365159216922011-03-28T17:05:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:33:47.645-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to make a gourmet meal that would be easy, but a staple when you think about a gourmet meal. So what about Chicken Piccata? We served it at our wedding, I love capers, I like to learn new methods (which will help before Culinary School), and so what more inspiration did I need? When I saw this on the cover of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/magazine-Premier-issue-Chicken-Piccata-Pastas/dp/B002QJ4QNA?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">Cuisine at Home</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B002QJ4QNA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1">, it was settled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CvJU1N0tHA8/TZEWcH6xYjI/AAAAAAAAA3A/XDLuC8nTRa4/s1600/chicken-piccata-wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CvJU1N0tHA8/TZEWcH6xYjI/AAAAAAAAA3A/XDLuC8nTRa4/s1600/chicken-piccata-wine.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oS9GCJzUg2g/TZEWZFtL6nI/AAAAAAAAA24/oFv6e8bLer0/s1600/chicken-piccata-close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oS9GCJzUg2g/TZEWZFtL6nI/AAAAAAAAA24/oFv6e8bLer0/s1600/chicken-piccata-close-up.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/sunday-evening-chicken-piccata.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-799354636515921692?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-49167455095476085072011-03-26T19:28:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:36:35.177-07:00I went to my friend <a href="http://kaliedub.blogspot.com/">Kalie&#39;s blog</a>, and I really liked how her bread turned out from the same book we use. I then remembered some bread I had made for Thanksgiving, and I just had to post on bread too. Maybe a late post, but delicious nonetheless. Thanksgiving Bread.<br>Grandparents, Brianna&#39;s German roommate Maria, our friends Sue, Andrew, and David, plus our family were all coming over to my parents house for Thanksgiving. All of us kids (me and Billy, Brittany and Brianna) all wanted to bring something to the table. So I made bread for Thanksgiving. Since I am in love with this book, <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</a>, I wanted to share it with our family and friends. My favorite was the Pumpkin Raisin Cinnamon Swirl out of the two, the Italian Semolina was delicious and delicate, just next time I will add a little whole wheat flour into the dough. I like a little more texture. I did follow their recipe for the base of the dough, but I split the risen dough into two halves, and reserved one for the base of the Pumpkin Raisin Cinnamon Swirl.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4Ie23Xsq64/TY6KuPQR_OI/AAAAAAAAA1s/sKjKGBYCStI/s1600/italian-semolina-bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4Ie23Xsq64/TY6KuPQR_OI/AAAAAAAAA1s/sKjKGBYCStI/s320/italian-semolina-bread.jpg" width="211"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTbZqLIqcaU/TY9P6ucxvXI/AAAAAAAAA14/0uNrGtdc64M/s1600/pumpkin-raisin-cin-bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTbZqLIqcaU/TY9P6ucxvXI/AAAAAAAAA14/0uNrGtdc64M/s320/pumpkin-raisin-cin-bread.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="153"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/italian-semolina-bread-and-pumpkin.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4916745509547608507?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-83087677227914987262011-03-26T09:17:00.011-07:002011-05-16T10:37:01.987-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Billy and I have been quite busy lately. We <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/bay-and-valley.html">checked out</a> our future possible school (The Culinary Institute of America) in St. Helena, Napa Valley, California, which was amazing, yet amazingly expensive. While up in that region we, us and my parents, were able to tour around San Francisco as well. I actually wish that the school would be in San Fran, but if we do attend the two year program, I&#39;m sure we&#39;ll be too busy to even care about location. It would only be about an hour drive back down to the city if we get a free weekend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we loved it up there, I know there would be much to learn about the city and the country, and that we would probably get sick of it just like many of our friends who have and do live up there. But it would be a new season of life, and as usual we&#39;d be led on to the next thing when our time is complete up there. If finances through scholarships and loans work out then we know how God&#39;s leading, but at this point we are just left waiting. In the mean time, we are actively researching other schools (which honestly, don&#39;t match up to even half of what the CIA offers), and trying our best to be calm, cool, and collected. School choice is difficult, yet necessary, and exciting all in one. Oh and if you were wondering, we are looking to go to a school out of state, preferably California. We do have our reasons, ranging from wanting to avoid the heat of Phoenix, to California being a state full of family and friends and a new adventure. But it&#39;s all boiling down to a finely perfected sauce. &quot;Now listen, you who say, &#39;Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.&#39; Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, &#39;If it is the Lord&#39;s will, we will live and do this or that.&#39;&quot; James 4:13-15. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Gy13BMav10s/TY39IX7ffHI/AAAAAAAAA1g/kI7dnJSM7kc/s1600/pesto-salami-roll-tomato-soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Gy13BMav10s/TY39IX7ffHI/AAAAAAAAA1g/kI7dnJSM7kc/s1600/pesto-salami-roll-tomato-soup.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aside from all of our excitement lately, we are still cooking. Here is an easy meal. I will give you two possible ways, one easier, the other more rewarding. The original version was created by a co-worker of mine, using pre-made dough, salami, mozzarella, sprinkled with chopped olives, which is amazing, but of course I had to add my own touch by making my own olive oil dough, and also my own home-made Basil-Pumpkin Seed Pesto. When I served this for dinner, I made a quick and easy Tomato Soup to accompany the sandwiches, which is great for dipping.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/pesto-salami-pizza-roll-with-easy.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8308767722791498726?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-58525159686259508992011-03-24T13:46:00.006-07:002011-03-30T10:30:42.422-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We just returned from a fly-by trip to Napa Valley for an open house at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. The open house was great, but it wasn&#39;t the only highlight of the trip. Here are some photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vOJv4glTewQ/TYubGFSyXvI/AAAAAAAAAyo/gNSbqJLj3QA/s1600/DSCN0775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vOJv4glTewQ/TYubGFSyXvI/AAAAAAAAAyo/gNSbqJLj3QA/s400/DSCN0775.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pier 39 dudes</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sf0jWMEo4yQ/TYubYv0duOI/AAAAAAAAAys/vWWeJiTUVyA/s1600/DSCN0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sf0jWMEo4yQ/TYubYv0duOI/AAAAAAAAAys/vWWeJiTUVyA/s400/DSCN0776.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boudin Sourdough<br><br></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/bay-and-valley.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5852515968625950899?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-63985024350288907962011-03-20T17:37:00.001-07:002011-03-30T10:51:28.709-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We have discovered some other newer trails in the area.  We went to the other side of the lake and found the new Willow Dells trail system. There&#39;s at least three loops here you can do. We have hiked two of them so far. The one pictured here is the Lake Hike. The other one we hiked takes you up to a look-out over the whole Dells area. Both trails that we&#39;ve done are so beautiful. More people are hiking these, but not as much as the Sedona trails. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tok3TyyYNZA/TYYqW-BoSsI/AAAAAAAAAyI/OCEAJTBocEw/s1600/DSCN0737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tok3TyyYNZA/TYYqW-BoSsI/AAAAAAAAAyI/OCEAJTBocEw/s320/DSCN0737.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rach at the beginning of the Willow Lake trail</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-difFY_jKmW0/TYYrEg82wkI/AAAAAAAAAyM/-I0iryQbKCA/s1600/DSCN0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-difFY_jKmW0/TYYrEg82wkI/AAAAAAAAAyM/-I0iryQbKCA/s320/DSCN0739.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willow Lake</td></tr></tbody></table></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/willow-lake-trail.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6398502435028890796?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-32185731191260223382011-03-20T09:45:00.005-07:002011-03-30T10:48:46.937-07:00In between weekend snowstorms the weather has been pretty nice around here lately. Since Rachel and I moved we are surrounded by some really beautiful trails. So we have been hiking a lot more lately. The standard is the Willow Lake Trail across the street from us. We can walk a couple of miles there and back without jumping into a car. In fact with the recent snow we just <i>had </i>to go up and take some photos.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-znS8X7GqdBo/TXt3TbPG89I/AAAAAAAAAww/geahmYNfAfM/s1600/DSCN0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-znS8X7GqdBo/TXt3TbPG89I/AAAAAAAAAww/geahmYNfAfM/s320/DSCN0574.JPG" width="240"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sY4p9Zdgmak/TXt3fcy0VAI/AAAAAAAAAw0/zSdVBXWzh5k/s1600/DSCN0575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sY4p9Zdgmak/TXt3fcy0VAI/AAAAAAAAAw0/zSdVBXWzh5k/s320/DSCN0575.JPG" width="240"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s320/DSCN0576.JPG" width="240"></a></div><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wFMrBXcEV8I/TXt3wSkVQCI/AAAAAAAAAw4/u5BVX5HZoys/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/le-grande-outdoors.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3218573119126022338?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-64957889102508977742011-03-16T11:21:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:37:28.428-07:00One of my favorite recipe books we have is a bargain-bin Barnes &amp; Noble find called <i>50 Great Curries of India.</i> This book features amazing traditional, authentic, regional curries of India that are not likely to be in your local Indian restaurant. The author, Camellia Panjabi, explains in the intro why regional Indian food has had little exposure on the worldwide stage. The north Indian cuisine of Punjab is the main Indian restaurant fare in India and throughout the world. This is because people of Punjab are traditionally the networkers and outgoing people of India. Wherever they go they like to eat their own food, so within and outside of India Punjab-style cooking is the norm. After creating a successful regional Indian restaurant in London, Panjabi  set out to collect secrets and recipes from home cooks, wedding caterers and a few chefs. The book is a great overview of the different regions, their ethos, materials, ingredients and their recipes.<br>What I love about this book, beside the chance to eat authentic Indian food without knowing any Indian people, is the challenge of these meals. I never give myself less than two hours when cooking from this book. Although by prepping ahead of time you can cut down this time quite a bit, it is the concept of slow-cooked food that is common throughout India that results in food that is just not the same if rushed. <br>We have made a few recipes out of here, but the two most recent I did were a pineapple curry and a creamy potato curry:<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jRipQZ-GZ4g/TYDubGvV3WI/AAAAAAAAAxE/-H-bKpmij1s/s1600/DSCN0659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jRipQZ-GZ4g/TYDubGvV3WI/AAAAAAAAAxE/-H-bKpmij1s/s400/DSCN0659.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-new-curries.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6495788910250897774?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-77043914868112974292011-03-16T08:33:00.001-07:002011-03-19T08:58:15.004-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-us4BsouF5Gk/TYFv9RfnUrI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/VDNb4MB2U0Y/s1600/DSCN0719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-us4BsouF5Gk/TYFv9RfnUrI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/VDNb4MB2U0Y/s200/DSCN0719.JPG" width="150"></a></div><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Chicken-Susan-Meadows/dp/0760734542?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">Simply Chicken</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=0760734542" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1"></i> by Susan Meadows. Delicious and easy recipes. This book has a variety of skill levels and preparation times. Everything we&#39;ve tried we have thoroughly enjoyed. This book is good for learning different cooking methods, because the author is very clear and presents easy instructions. This book was my mom&#39;s and I enjoyed it so much, I ended up asking her if I could keep it. And of course she said yes.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cf-NR51iQKs/TYFxSSg9PAI/AAAAAAAAAxU/UcoU7DvZWQM/s1600/DSCN0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cf-NR51iQKs/TYFxSSg9PAI/AAAAAAAAAxU/UcoU7DvZWQM/s200/DSCN0720.JPG" width="150"></a></div><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pasta-Jeni-Wright/dp/B0006924TU?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">Pasta</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B0006924TU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1"></i>, with contributing editor Jeni Wright, is a great book because of its history, variety, and listed nutritional values. I really enjoy this thick manual. The sauces are simply perfect, and in the back of the book a whole section on asian noodles is included. I have created delicious Thai meals from this section. Who would guess this seemingly Italian book has solid recipes from the other side of the world?<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tIoTd7UimtY/TYFymJrPObI/AAAAAAAAAxY/9gwQ_JJOnY0/s1600/DSCN0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tIoTd7UimtY/TYFymJrPObI/AAAAAAAAAxY/9gwQ_JJOnY0/s200/DSCN0724.JPG" width="150"></a></div><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=billyan-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=billyan-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=0312362919" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1"></i>, by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoe Francois, is probably familiar to you because of how often I reference it. I love this book. Billy got this for me as a present because of a lady he works with, who was making fabulous breads out of this thing. Since receiving it as a present, so have I . If you purchase it, it is a little confusing at first just glancing through it, because you can practically substitute every dough in for a lot of their other recipes. It reveals bread/dough&#39;s versatility, and simplicity. It is a great way to have fresh bread everyday, but I promise, you will get spoiled, and it is hard to go a week without making a batch.<br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-recipe-books-from-our-kitchen.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7704391486811297429?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-79906957711858619012011-03-09T21:17:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:38:30.463-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have fallen in love with making fresh bread. Since moving into our new house, I hadn&#39;t made any batches of bread like I was normally doing before the move. It dawned on me when I really wanted to eat a sub sandwich at home but didn&#39;t have any bread. It was then I realized I had full capability of making a fresh batch of bread, right then and there. So I did. And the love for bread making began all over again. The first batch in the new house was <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/olive-oil-bread-with-olives-and-garlic.html">olive oil dough</a>, and for the second batch Brioche dough. <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/08/featuring-brioche.html">Brioche</a> is a fabulous dough, especially for desserts such as Cinnamon Caramel Rolls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p4zF_rBAYHg/TY4o5t1sE_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/7SnuR-VD9M0/s1600/cinn-caramel-roll-on-plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p4zF_rBAYHg/TY4o5t1sE_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/7SnuR-VD9M0/s1600/cinn-caramel-roll-on-plate.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/cinnamon-caramel-rolls.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7990695771185861901?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-75173778040751989622011-03-06T20:36:00.006-07:002011-03-07T10:39:42.642-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">My high school art teacher had a rule for selling your art. Figure your material costs then figure your time spent and your "labor" costs. You have the price for a piece of art. Well, these are extenuating circumstances. I need some more space and the petty cash wouldn't hurt. So, I am selling some bristol board painting and drawings for cheap:&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Five dollars each:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(11x14) pen and pencil &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (approx. 8x10) pencil and marker on old album paper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s1600/DSCN0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s200/DSCN0679.JPG" width="153" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s1600/DSCN0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zhWdHEoc9E0/TXRFWq28KQI/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJIiHN843Vo/s1600/DSCN0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7MaaSYNMj9I/TXREqgc0a7I/AAAAAAAAAsE/GwUJIG_klTk/s1600/DSCN0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7MaaSYNMj9I/TXREqgc0a7I/AAAAAAAAAsE/GwUJIG_klTk/s200/DSCN0665.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="153" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(11x14) spray paint and ink &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (11x14) Charcoal&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mrqiJgFG3jo/TXRFrqNcYJI/AAAAAAAAAsM/4eiHWr6CwQg/s1600/DSCN0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mrqiJgFG3jo/TXRFrqNcYJI/AAAAAAAAAsM/4eiHWr6CwQg/s200/DSCN0680.JPG" width="153" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m6cvWnz7a3c/TXRGVu6ytOI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/7tAlJnS9WmI/s1600/DSCF4063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m6cvWnz7a3c/TXRGVu6ytOI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/7tAlJnS9WmI/s200/DSCF4063.JPG" width="153" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ten Dollars Each:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (11x14) pen and marker &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;(11x14) acrylic pen and pencil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_wJuVecjF74/TXRHAhSpaSI/AAAAAAAAAsU/sQnedgfoVfw/s1600/DSCN0670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_wJuVecjF74/TXRHAhSpaSI/AAAAAAAAAsU/sQnedgfoVfw/s200/DSCN0670.JPG" width="158" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3IeIUQH1V38/TXRHJ33n60I/AAAAAAAAAsY/rDMYyw8gXpo/s1600/DSCN0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3IeIUQH1V38/TXRHJ33n60I/AAAAAAAAAsY/rDMYyw8gXpo/s200/DSCN0671.JPG" width="161" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nqcOthefMi8/TXRHasK-79I/AAAAAAAAAsg/uWwC-h3uLV8/s1600/DSCN0674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nqcOthefMi8/TXRHasK-79I/AAAAAAAAAsg/uWwC-h3uLV8/s200/DSCN0674.jpg" width="133" /></a>(same piece twice) approx. 5x7 acrylic and charcoal<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X1I-n_ClShc/TXRHg0CfYZI/AAAAAAAAAsk/OauOWmuSH6U/s1600/DSCN0678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X1I-n_ClShc/TXRHg0CfYZI/AAAAAAAAAsk/OauOWmuSH6U/s200/DSCN0678.jpg" width="136" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Twenty Five and Thirty Dollars Each:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;(11x14) <s>$50</s> $25 pen and pencil &nbsp; &nbsp;(14x17) <s>$75</s> $30 spray stencil and charcoal</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3TnEL9Up8V0/TXRJJ6eYaNI/AAAAAAAAAso/czLp8jYvcY8/s1600/n1552760881_63680_3617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3TnEL9Up8V0/TXRJJ6eYaNI/AAAAAAAAAso/czLp8jYvcY8/s200/n1552760881_63680_3617.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0uRKxZMiwxY/TXRJfHEXroI/AAAAAAAAAss/OKzSP2fDb58/s1600/DSCF3433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0uRKxZMiwxY/TXRJfHEXroI/AAAAAAAAAss/OKzSP2fDb58/s200/DSCF3433.JPG" width="166" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (11x14)<s> $65</s> $30 spray, acrylic, collage &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;(approx. 11x14) <s>$20</s>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ea9999;">SOLD</span> acrylic on watercolor paper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s1600/DSCN0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PnJX0-E_Jdk/TXRHPpEu_zI/AAAAAAAAAsc/UcXyWiu6F0Y/s200/DSCN0673.JPG" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nfAuYnRkH70/TXRJmsbHUjI/AAAAAAAAAsw/o63b67pEsMw/s1600/DSCF3387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nfAuYnRkH70/TXRJmsbHUjI/AAAAAAAAAsw/o63b67pEsMw/s200/DSCF3387.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you would like a piece leave a comment or email me at: &nbsp; hexinduction@yahoo. com. If you are not in the area, we can figure out shipping (which will be inexpensive) and I can bill you through paypal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will also do commission pieces (pencil and pen for cheap!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, of course, if you have seen any of my <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/p/artwork-by-billy.html">other pieces</a> that you would like to buy let me know and we can work something out.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Billy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7517377804075198962?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-23262890498503912272011-03-06T19:04:00.005-07:002011-03-07T11:03:27.074-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Billy and I moved last month into a warmer, more spacious home. We love it. Thanks family and friends for helping us move! Enjoy the house tour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Living Room:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s320/DSCN0636.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance into our living room.</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nLFczyPOdAo/TXRtFu0agFI/AAAAAAAAAt8/nydz1V1bt7s/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-home-some-new-designs.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2326289049850391227?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-53911288892132020922011-03-04T23:18:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:38:56.366-07:00Some nights I want dessert, but don't really want to be in the kitchen for a couple hours. This is our go-to dessert when needed in under a half hour. The recipe is from one of my favorites blogs, <a href="http://apartmenttherapy.com/">Apartment Therapy</a> and it's really easy. I have changed it just a bit, by adding less cocoa powder than they do, it is too rich for me the original way.. but besides that this is the best chocolate pudding to make at home, nix the store-bought packages. Have fun!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yQsRboUYZD8/TW3cng-bomI/AAAAAAAAAro/viIab3AMYCI/s1600/DSCN0602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yQsRboUYZD8/TW3cng-bomI/AAAAAAAAAro/viIab3AMYCI/s320/DSCN0602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PcnCW9nHKOc/TW3c4I2WluI/AAAAAAAAArs/afDJldpQ1eg/s1600/DSCN0605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PcnCW9nHKOc/TW3c4I2WluI/AAAAAAAAArs/afDJldpQ1eg/s320/DSCN0605.JPG" width="320" /></a>&nbsp;</div>Chocolate Pudding<br />Adapted from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/diy-recipe/recipe-diy-chocolate-pudding-018549">Apartment Therapy's The Kitchen</a><br />2 servings<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />3 tablespoons cornstarch<br />1 cup milk<br />1 cup cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br /><br />Process: 1)&nbsp;Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan for about 3-4 minutes. 2) While the milk is heating, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch in a small bowl. 3) Take out a cup of the warmed milk and pour over dry ingredients. Use a whisk to incorporate all ingredients. Once smooth, add back into saucepan with remaining milk and cream. 4)&nbsp;Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, just until it thickens, about 4 minutes. 5) Stir in vanilla, then pour into small dishes or mugs. Cover with plastic wrap. 6) Refrigerate to the temperature of your liking. (I usually wait 1/2 hour, Billy likes his after an hour.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5391128889213202092?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-75545303080136269792011-03-02T20:02:00.008-07:002011-05-16T10:39:27.333-07:00I asked Billy if he had any idea for a menu item this week, and he casually said, &quot;Why not a savory bread pudding?&quot; Immediately my mind went somewhere totally different than what he was thinking, but he said my idea sounded good. We&#39;ll have to tackle his idea too though (Mediterranean style savory bread pudding). My idea was to use left over <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/crock-pot-pork-carnitas-tacos.html">Pork Carnitas</a>, and create a Southwest style dinner.<br><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4EwifMT2A5A/TaeS8QxnoiI/AAAAAAAABAc/PO1uPWCunoM/s1600/sw-savory-bread-pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4EwifMT2A5A/TaeS8QxnoiI/AAAAAAAABAc/PO1uPWCunoM/s1600/sw-savory-bread-pudding.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BHCNLKTOFFU/TW8EfTgm7lI/AAAAAAAAAsA/l9OudKeXktw/s1600/DSCN0600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BHCNLKTOFFU/TW8EfTgm7lI/AAAAAAAAAsA/l9OudKeXktw/s400/DSCN0600.JPG" width="400"></a></div>As I was cooking this meal everything seemed so perfect, the spices just right, my homemade bread, green chile, corn... Billy and I were hoping it would turn out as delicious as it was smelling. And it definitely pulled through. We enjoyed it thoroughly, and would recommend it for either breakfast or dinner. It would actually be a great dish for serving a lot of people (brunch?) since they&#39;re served in an individual muffin pan size.<br>Original Recipe and More Photos Follow<br><br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/03/southwest-savory-bread-pudding.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7554530308013626979?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-26777783139251382842011-02-22T19:32:00.008-07:002011-05-16T10:39:58.358-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really love cream puffs. They are about a 2 1/2 hour kitchen commitment though, so I don&#39;t make them often. I made these for us and also for my dad since he loves them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--m053rewo-k/TWRkgEdDgqI/AAAAAAAAArU/9qNoKkfzS8A/s1600/DSCN0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--m053rewo-k/TWRkgEdDgqI/AAAAAAAAArU/9qNoKkfzS8A/s400/DSCN0525.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is my second time using this recipe from the resource <i>Joy of Baking</i>. Next time I will add more cocoa powder to the cream so that the filling looks more chocolate-y. But beside the light colored whipped cream, they taste amazing, light and not too sweet. Also the whipped cream tasted like chocolate mousse. Delicious. I included the recipe at the bottom of my post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/cream-puffs-with-chocolate-whipped.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2677778313925138284?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-70449803702823154292011-02-21T09:28:00.004-07:002011-02-28T10:13:35.695-07:00Village Church, Matt Chandler:&nbsp;<a href="http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/sermons">Habbakkuk part 3</a>. Heavy stuff.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7044980370282315429?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-148730007937772572011-02-16T19:51:00.014-07:002011-10-10T15:12:09.149-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I&#39;ve been wanting <a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/04/crock-pot-pork-carnitas-tacos.html">Pork Carnitas</a>, simmered all day long in my crock pot. After satisfying that craving earlier this week, Billy thought we could use the left over carnitas for chili. He found not only an amazing recipe for Carnitas Chili, but also a must-try recipe for custard corn bread. It&#39;s funny how we do that, one of us picks out a recipe and it seems a lot of times the other is the one who cooks it. We absolutely loved this meal and I would recommend making it if you&#39;re into substantial meals once in awhile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qbu08S046mg/TVcptsYhB-I/AAAAAAAAAqA/XMagcBLpEeE/s1600/DSCN0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qbu08S046mg/TVcptsYhB-I/AAAAAAAAAqA/XMagcBLpEeE/s640/DSCN0474.JPG" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recipes follow.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/substantial-and-extra-dressy-chili-and.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-14873000793777257?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-87393733377721993792011-02-16T11:39:00.003-07:002011-03-30T10:31:56.620-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For Valentine&#39;s we went to Tonto Natural Bridge in Payson, Arizona. It was about an hour and 45 minutes drive. I told Billy that I wanted to go on a hike that we normally didn&#39;t do, and while I was thinking something more local, he wanted to take me out of town. He had been to this State Park when he was around 12 with his family, and wanted to show me something totally new. Since it took us so long to drive there we wanted to chose the longest hike down (out of four different hikes on site). We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Rather than a nice little forest trail, cleared by our state&#39;s foresters, it turned out to be a boulder/rock climb, follow the arrows painted on rocks, type of hike. I had never accomplished a hike that difficult.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWWRqfTWEN4/TVwIwMOqIpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/ugvrnqWyfUA/s1600/DSCN0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWWRqfTWEN4/TVwIwMOqIpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/ugvrnqWyfUA/s320/DSCN0491.JPG" width="320"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfwDbQWC9kU/TVwJEQjEoVI/AAAAAAAAAqI/6EKe-LVxPVM/s1600/DSCN0494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfwDbQWC9kU/TVwJEQjEoVI/AAAAAAAAAqI/6EKe-LVxPVM/s320/DSCN0494.JPG" width="320"></a></div>It was funny because at the entrance to the hike they had a sign posted with information, which stated that it was a difficult hike. We had laughed thinking it was intended for those unaccustomed to the grade of a hike- but no, it really was difficult, puzzling at times. It was so beautiful though, with water running off the nearby mountainside, turning the whole wall into moss, caves, and gigantic icicles.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRbWADwcfYA/TVwJVZh84WI/AAAAAAAAAqM/6X0M0yzIoXY/s1600/DSCN0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRbWADwcfYA/TVwJVZh84WI/AAAAAAAAAqM/6X0M0yzIoXY/s320/DSCN0495.JPG" width="240"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is a beautiful little Arizona gem, and I would recommend it to you hikers. If our choice of trail seems daunting, they do have numerous others leading down directly to the waterfall, just a little steep, but easy. Enjoy our photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/our-hike-at-tonto-natural-bridge.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8739373337772199379?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-55863781240678356492011-02-09T20:14:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:43:59.205-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been extremely curious about eating a meal with a poached egg, because I&#39;ve been seeing it so much lately on other blogs, and other food sources- haven&#39;t you? And what also drew me to this concept was that I had never poached an egg before so I wanted to learn the technique. Although this is a breakfast meal, Billy and I don&#39;t mind switching things up, so we tried it out and here&#39;s what it turned out to be!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qw4xt2lcYSA/TVNU4lyQroI/AAAAAAAAAp4/alJ3ldz6VHY/s1600/DSCN0452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qw4xt2lcYSA/TVNU4lyQroI/AAAAAAAAAp4/alJ3ldz6VHY/s400/DSCN0452.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div><br></div><b>Fried Polenta with Tomato, Mushroom Sauce, and Poached Egg</b><br><div><i>Adapted from Apartment Therapy by </i><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/glutenfree/recipe-eggy-crispy-polenta-with-tomatoes-mushrooms-137341"><i>Faith Durand</i></a></div><div><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/glutenfree/recipe-eggy-crispy-polenta-with-tomatoes-mushrooms-137341"></a>Serves two. Recipe follows:</div><div></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/02/fried-polenta-with-tomato-mushroom.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5586378124067835649?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-82680183899933277872011-02-05T22:09:00.002-07:002011-02-23T18:23:10.393-07:00Wanted to put up some newer art - that I haven't put up on the the artwork section yet - at the behest of out friend David. So, you get what you pay for. Here they are:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4p8cDizKI/AAAAAAAAApk/KquIflT9jsc/s1600/DSCN0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4p8cDizKI/AAAAAAAAApk/KquIflT9jsc/s400/DSCN0460.JPG" width="328" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4rT-YypAI/AAAAAAAAAps/mck4gAa6gkA/s1600/DSCN0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4rT-YypAI/AAAAAAAAAps/mck4gAa6gkA/s400/DSCN0384.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4se5-IGJI/AAAAAAAAApw/G6VXXSJQL4E/s1600/DSCF4110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4se5-IGJI/AAAAAAAAApw/G6VXXSJQL4E/s400/DSCF4110.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4slBcq3mI/AAAAAAAAAp0/RxXheO0KCts/s1600/DSCF4344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4slBcq3mI/AAAAAAAAAp0/RxXheO0KCts/s400/DSCF4344.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4p8cDizKI/AAAAAAAAApk/KquIflT9jsc/s1600/DSCN0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4qb_Us3bI/AAAAAAAAApo/JeJlVUqiNMM/s1600/DSCF4257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TU4qb_Us3bI/AAAAAAAAApo/JeJlVUqiNMM/s400/DSCF4257.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I've also been doing some tiny paintings (1.5 inches x 2.5 inches) and as soon as I take some pictures I'll put them up as well.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8268018389993327787?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-40241667024646971412011-01-31T15:44:00.002-07:002011-02-01T17:41:21.068-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went to the Wildlife Zoo on Sunday, Billy was working all weekend and he encouraged me to get out of the house. I went with the parents, my sister, Brit, and her fiance. Here are some photos of our trip for your enjoyment. I was also having fun with my new camera...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcyOve_92I/AAAAAAAAAoY/nMaLgjeWRTk/s1600/DSCN0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcyOve_92I/AAAAAAAAAoY/nMaLgjeWRTk/s320/DSCN0393.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingos</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcyjZ7lAMI/AAAAAAAAAoc/d6z7ZBDJZmo/s1600/DSCN0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcyjZ7lAMI/AAAAAAAAAoc/d6z7ZBDJZmo/s320/DSCN0399.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Cockatoo</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcy3-WwILI/AAAAAAAAAog/QFrR1LJy-n8/s1600/DSCN0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUcy3-WwILI/AAAAAAAAAog/QFrR1LJy-n8/s320/DSCN0405.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cockatoos, these guys loved me- or just the camera.</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUczMt2k9GI/AAAAAAAAAok/vKL1zpDpvzQ/s1600/DSCN0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TUczMt2k9GI/AAAAAAAAAok/vKL1zpDpvzQ/s320/DSCN0411.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macaw</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/wildlife-world-zoo-in-phoenix.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4024166702464697141?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-75825445620191435802011-01-18T08:51:00.004-07:002011-02-23T18:32:03.287-07:00If you even glance at visual art these days you know that in order to be recognized, art must be one of three things: 1. Over the top installation or silly video project &nbsp;2. Full of political or social sloganing that is less-than-subtle 3. Attempting to shock: a) on the side of vulgarity or, &nbsp;b) by juxtaposing campy stuff with surrealistic landscape.&nbsp;If you are into this sort of thing, that's cool. I really like some contemporaries and I might get to posting about them at some point. I just think that in a time when so many different types and styles abound in the proverbial "post-modern" age of art (not that I buy that term, but) that as far as a theme is concerned there is very little to be said, as if some things just don't need to be said anymore. Am I losing anyone? Let me try to explain with my subject of the day: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW1GHj3DTI/AAAAAAAAAnw/YlLWUwQCzf4/s1600/guthmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW1GHj3DTI/AAAAAAAAAnw/YlLWUwQCzf4/s400/guthmann.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Kirchner was a founding member of the Expressionist group, "Die Brucke" (German: The Bridge) The term was meant to describe the bridging of the art of the past to the new. There was an obvious connection between primitivism and Die Brucke, especially when viewing the work of Die Brucke members Karl Schmidt-Rotluff and Otto Mueller. But Kirchner's paintings were different. He loved portraiture and city scenes. Yet, he still painted with the outrageous colors and crude-stylized drawing that came to mark primitivism.&nbsp;While having a contempt for the technical bent and overall niceness of the work coming out of the academies of the time, the group also rejected complete abstraction. Thusly, the members created work that was emotionally charged and incredibly human.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW1QNRj2nI/AAAAAAAAAn0/bOIjtskgG2c/s1600/soldier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW1QNRj2nI/AAAAAAAAAn0/bOIjtskgG2c/s400/soldier.jpg" width="347" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW14Jjz6SI/AAAAAAAAAn4/OIM7Dcb7CT4/s1600/Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner_-_Bergatelier_-_1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW14Jjz6SI/AAAAAAAAAn4/OIM7Dcb7CT4/s400/Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner_-_Bergatelier_-_1937.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2NfrEVrI/AAAAAAAAAn8/khMryPeYtqw/s1600/Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner_Artistin_Marzella_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2NfrEVrI/AAAAAAAAAn8/khMryPeYtqw/s400/Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner_Artistin_Marzella_1.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2bLWPVXI/AAAAAAAAAoA/tFprjRhPdLc/s1600/kirchner+landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2bLWPVXI/AAAAAAAAAoA/tFprjRhPdLc/s400/kirchner+landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2n5ytCUI/AAAAAAAAAoE/B0hvChMl0VE/s1600/Ernst-Ludwig-Kirchner-xx-Erna-1930-xx-Pinakothek-der-Moderne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTW2n5ytCUI/AAAAAAAAAoE/B0hvChMl0VE/s400/Ernst-Ludwig-Kirchner-xx-Erna-1930-xx-Pinakothek-der-Moderne.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The group disbanded in 1913, but the members continued to paint and the expressionist affinity never left Kirchner. His later works, which I think constitute some of his most powerful paintings, are the realization of this mix of tangible humanness and lurking catharsis. The entire body of his work just goes to show that a&nbsp;<i>good</i>&nbsp;idea -and maybe more so, truth- does not become obsolete just because there is a&nbsp;<i>new&nbsp;</i>idea.</div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Billy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7582544562019143580?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-8127110441063040972011-01-16T09:37:00.008-07:002011-05-16T10:44:19.140-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I&#39;ve finally really gotten the hang of making this bread recipe. I&#39;ve re-visited this recipe so many times now that I feel confident about it, and we love the fresh bread too. So here is the recipe and the process, if you so desire to have the scent of fresh bread wafting through your home. It makes a great accompaniment to dinner or to use for sandwich bread. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTMZBRhsKOI/AAAAAAAAAno/KdpQLgVSRMI/s1600/DSCN0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTMZBRhsKOI/AAAAAAAAAno/KdpQLgVSRMI/s400/DSCN0286.JPG" width="400"></a></div>This bread is fragrant and delicious. Enjoy this version of olive oil bread. Also check out Cook&#39;s Note at end of post to create fresh Baguette at home. Recipe Follows.<br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/olive-oil-bread-with-olives-and-garlic.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-812711044106304097?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-62123833232260049142011-01-16T08:56:00.007-07:002011-07-07T18:03:51.230-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I&#39;ve been making a lot of soup and chowder lately, but it is winter, and we love it. Billy loves chowders, and this recipe has been made a couple times in our home, each time getting tweaked to be a bit better. This time around we felt it was perfect, so I will finally share the perfected recipe with you. Fresh green chiles make all the difference in the world, so please don&#39;t skip that part of the recipe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YhxG3-ifZs/ThZRfzKYgqI/AAAAAAAABLY/bBj1CtC0ntk/s1600/anaheim-chile-pre-roast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YhxG3-ifZs/ThZRfzKYgqI/AAAAAAAABLY/bBj1CtC0ntk/s1600/anaheim-chile-pre-roast.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVmP_FYk6Ik/ThZRnv92HkI/AAAAAAAABL4/7XxUOjIVLxg/s1600/green-chile-corn-chowder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVmP_FYk6Ik/ThZRnv92HkI/AAAAAAAABL4/7XxUOjIVLxg/s1600/green-chile-corn-chowder.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/green-chile-corn-chowder.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6212383323226004914?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0Prescott, AZ, USA34.5400242 -112.468502534.4563522 -112.544591 34.6236962 -112.392414tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-67589551792937096632011-01-15T09:57:00.001-07:002011-01-15T12:09:49.858-07:00For Amanda's Birthday we went bowling. It was her first time ever, and she did very well. I'm a terrible bowler and always have been. But here are the pictures to make you laugh.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQOv54NqI/AAAAAAAAAnA/EX7Sm1uDADo/s1600/DSCN0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQOv54NqI/AAAAAAAAAnA/EX7Sm1uDADo/s320/DSCN0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris King (<a href="http://www.kauaibiblecollege.com/">http://www.kauaibiblecollege.com/</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQf1NWjxI/AAAAAAAAAnE/jgexDHudylc/s1600/DSCN0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQf1NWjxI/AAAAAAAAAnE/jgexDHudylc/s320/DSCN0292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, the terrible bowler. Yet I can pose.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQwFCRDXI/AAAAAAAAAnI/WaSyUHOWi_A/s1600/DSCN0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQwFCRDXI/AAAAAAAAAnI/WaSyUHOWi_A/s320/DSCN0294.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband Billy.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQ9NhuxiI/AAAAAAAAAnM/aQYhFRSA7YM/s1600/DSCN0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TTHQ9NhuxiI/AAAAAAAAAnM/aQYhFRSA7YM/s320/DSCN0298.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda, the birthday girl (<a href="http://pharmfreshrecipes.blogspot.com/">http://pharmfreshrecipes.blogspot.com/</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6758955179293709663?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-53844977791817604082011-01-09T16:38:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:45:12.531-07:00Rachel wanted me to do a beer post. I haven&#39;t done that many brews as of late because it&#39;s costly and who needs that much beer? Well, I can give it away, but then it&#39;s still costly. I am already off topic, so let&#39;s get back to it.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSo22I5q-VI/AAAAAAAAAmU/kpLCz7OB8U4/s1600/DSCN0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSo22I5q-VI/AAAAAAAAAmU/kpLCz7OB8U4/s400/DSCN0255.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>I had brewed up a highly successful pumpkin ale for the Thanksgiving Season. I adapted it from a very popular recipe which can be found <a href="http://www.thebrewsite.com/2004/10/11/pumpkin-ale-recipe.php">here</a>. I ran it through a brewing program called Beer Alchemy, but since there&#39;s no real parameters for alcohol content, IBUs (bitterness) color and gravity I just called it a good seasonal brew and put it in the recipe list for next year. It isn&#39;t overly pumpkinny (if you will) and has a lot of winter ale spice flavor. There&#39;s still plenty of winter left and if you can find fresh pumpkins (some people say you can use canned pumpkin) it&#39;s great for the next couple of months.<br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2011/01/homecraft-beers-past-and-present.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5384497779181760408?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-25225527354538922072011-01-09T09:23:00.002-07:002011-03-07T10:46:29.704-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our friends <a href="http://rodriguezxlovebirds.blogspot.com/">Eems and Alyssa</a> are coming to visit us this week so we wanted to make the loft a little bit more welcoming. I saw these beautiful white napkins with the Eiffel Tower and Paris stitched on them, at a store downtown called the French Hen. An elderly lady hand stitches these napkins and sells them to this boutique. My mom ended up buying them for me for Christmas, which was so thoughtful, and I was excited.. We had talked about using them as cute little curtains for the loft, but by the time Christmas rolled around I ended up using other curtains from IKEA. So instead of curtains, I thought to myself, why not pillows? Billy and I went to Joanne's fabric and I picked out some natural wood buttons, and that afternoon, with the help of my sewing machine, I whipped out these boutique Paris pillows. I love them, and they'll be great loft accents.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSneVkD86aI/AAAAAAAAAmI/FVJRl1MjVW0/s1600/DSCN0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSneVkD86aI/AAAAAAAAAmI/FVJRl1MjVW0/s400/DSCN0243.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSneu3wqK3I/AAAAAAAAAmM/3oc3UTHPXPE/s1600/DSCN0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TSneu3wqK3I/AAAAAAAAAmM/3oc3UTHPXPE/s400/DSCN0244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2522552735453892207?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-48270024022883588512010-12-29T19:39:00.004-07:002011-05-16T10:45:41.974-07:00When Billy and I want enchiladas but don&#39;t want to slave through the normally long process of the traditional enchiladas, this recipe is the one we turn to with delight. They are chicken enchiladas with black beans, cooked in such a quick way, and baked just to make the cheese gooey and a little crispy. Also Billy got me such a cool camera for Christmas, so here is an example photo taken with it. Looks good doesn&#39;t it? I feel spoiled this Christmas, anyone else?<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRvsPjlL2cI/AAAAAAAAAl4/2oNYWlh81e0/s1600/DSCN0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRvsPjlL2cI/AAAAAAAAAl4/2oNYWlh81e0/s400/DSCN0134.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Recipe follows...</div><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/easy-cheesy-chicken-enchiladas-with.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4827002402288358851?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-79653173429679616252010-12-25T06:21:00.001-07:002011-02-23T18:38:14.514-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRXvhsdyLaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/iJaXTfOUMDs/s1600/Merry+Xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRXvhsdyLaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/iJaXTfOUMDs/s400/Merry+Xmas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7965317342967961625?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-43380272389431575172010-12-23T21:35:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:46:02.243-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted a comfort food for a cold winter day, so from having these items on hand I made quite a comforting potato cheese and bacon soup. It was so delicious we hardly spoke during dinner, and you know when that happens that it was a successful meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Love you guys and hope you are having a great Christmas season.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRQZQP8Ab1I/AAAAAAAAAls/2F-y2WA3Igg/s1600/DSCF4488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRQZQP8Ab1I/AAAAAAAAAls/2F-y2WA3Igg/s400/DSCF4488.JPG" width="400"></a></div>Original Recipe follows!<br><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/potato-cheese-and-bacon-soup.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4338027238943157517?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-66984309584917661492010-12-21T21:23:00.001-07:002010-12-21T21:25:49.469-07:00I&#39;ve been admiring the different bike blogs out there and the guy over at the <a href="http://corpsesfromhell.blogspot.com/">CFH Blog</a> gave me an idea. I stripped the flat almond paint off of my gas tank (which was hard to clean and keep clean) and gave it a dirty ground &quot;brushed&quot; look.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRF629ojYBI/AAAAAAAAAlg/404mi3XAtQA/s1600/mms_picture-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TRF629ojYBI/AAAAAAAAAlg/404mi3XAtQA/s320/mms_picture-24.jpg" width="320"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Can&#39;t see much of the tank, but that&#39;s it in off white</span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/cosmetics.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6698430958491766149?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-81594485826660311832010-12-19T15:46:00.004-07:002011-05-16T10:46:22.401-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have become, it seems, the birthday dessert bearer at my work. For the most recent birthday, which was on Friday, I made Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes, topped with raspberries. The recipe made a whole lot more than I needed, but oh well. Freeze some unfrosted ones for later, and hopefully give some more away to friends and family for Christmas. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQ6CURKZB8I/AAAAAAAAAlc/u97LcXODpKU/s1600/DSCF4491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQ6CURKZB8I/AAAAAAAAAlc/u97LcXODpKU/s400/DSCF4491.JPG" width="400"></a></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-coffee-cupcakes.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8159448582666031183?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-15988947332810668892010-12-15T09:30:00.001-07:002010-12-15T09:52:21.272-07:00I wanted to post this picture for two reasons:<br /><br />1. I wanted a link to it and haven't used my flickr in years<br /><br />2. It's tight, and I needed to remind you all of the sleeping Giants of photography, Brandon and Brian Wright. Check out their&nbsp;<a href="http://www.BwrightPhoto.com/">work here</a>&nbsp;and their rantings, ravings and tricks revealed,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twinlenslife.com/">right here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQjsvFH92zI/AAAAAAAAAlY/qccJiw5_C-w/s1600/73850007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQjsvFH92zI/AAAAAAAAAlY/qccJiw5_C-w/s320/73850007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-1598894733281066889?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-61205237827862044112010-12-12T19:53:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:46:41.994-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div>I purchased Better Homes and Gardens&#39; <i>Ultimate Cookies and Bars</i> publication, and came across this recipe that looked like a unique twist on jam thumb-print cookies. Billy and I love lemon flavors in our foods (and the color yellow), and since we had recently purchased some delicious Trader Joe&#39;s lemon curd, this recipe was perfect to try out for my first test kitchen run of the publication.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQWEM7Sl9GI/AAAAAAAAAlU/LCO-rNS8wbE/s1600/DSCF4454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQWEM7Sl9GI/AAAAAAAAAlU/LCO-rNS8wbE/s400/DSCF4454.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recipe and More Photos Follow!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/lemon-fennel-cookies.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6120523782786204411?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-61106709329505348142010-12-11T00:02:00.003-07:002011-02-23T18:39:49.043-07:00Just letting you enjoy the beauty of these local-farm fresh eggs. Aren&#39;t they gorgeous?<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQMhVuveBAI/AAAAAAAAAk4/g3fxQJ1Iym4/s1600/DSCF4444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQMhVuveBAI/AAAAAAAAAk4/g3fxQJ1Iym4/s400/DSCF4444.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">More photos follow!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/beautiful-eggs.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6110670932950534814?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-53399804252696871902010-12-06T19:35:00.001-07:002010-12-12T19:13:17.527-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TP2dEDh1ZKI/AAAAAAAAAkw/QW-bcuWbVOE/s1600/DSCF4477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TP2dEDh1ZKI/AAAAAAAAAkw/QW-bcuWbVOE/s400/DSCF4477.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TP2dQAbA6cI/AAAAAAAAAk0/yzCdJqGnGkc/s1600/DSCF4472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TP2dQAbA6cI/AAAAAAAAAk0/yzCdJqGnGkc/s400/DSCF4472.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQWBC6gNO-I/AAAAAAAAAlI/YZ8Kd_hbhiE/s1600/DSCF4473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TQWBC6gNO-I/AAAAAAAAAlI/YZ8Kd_hbhiE/s400/DSCF4473.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our little Christmas hedgehogs</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5339980425269687190?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-53662828852548578142010-12-01T21:32:00.005-07:002011-05-16T10:48:46.949-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This delicious dinner was a labor of love. I had a couple hours to myself before Billy came home from work, so I chose a challenging recipe to keep myself busy and learning. Chicken Rolls with Feta and Herbs, is served with a rich tomato sauce, and is a tasty combination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TPca1CD0i2I/AAAAAAAAAko/y102Efh0aYY/s1600/DSCF4434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TPca1CD0i2I/AAAAAAAAAko/y102Efh0aYY/s400/DSCF4434.JPG" width="400"></a></div>This recipe has been adapted from <i>Simply Chicken</i>, by Susan Meadows. Originally &quot;Feta Chicken with Mountain Herbs&quot; pg. 200.<br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/12/chicken-rolls-with-feta-and-herbs.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-5366282885254857814?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-8143130969322525572010-11-25T10:26:00.001-07:002011-02-28T10:13:53.995-07:00This Thanksgiving morning, my husband and I are streaming a sermon from Village Church, by Matt Chandler:&nbsp;<a href="http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/audio/201009191700FMWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_UltimateAuthorityPt2-UltimateAuthorityRevealed.mp3">Ultimate Authority {Part 2}</a>.<br /><br />You can check out more sermons, music, and studies on their site&nbsp;<a href="http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/">http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/</a>.<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-814313096932252557?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-65772519175455971712010-11-15T17:06:00.003-07:002011-05-16T10:49:14.514-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since Prescott has been getting colder lately, I&#39;ve been in the mood for molasses cookies. They are one of my favorite holiday/winter cookies. I wanted a no-chill dough, and soft cookie, rather than the thinner ginger-snap. The <a href="http://domestikgoddess.com/lumberjacks-soft-molasses-cookies/">recipe</a> I found was super simple, the type of recipe I prefer, and after tasting, super chewy. Perfect!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIvRw402I/AAAAAAAAAkY/pj4ejfKJ53s/s1600/DSCF4355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIvRw402I/AAAAAAAAAkY/pj4ejfKJ53s/s400/DSCF4355.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recipe follows&gt;&gt;</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIk99ZxwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/t_LmZBGr8pk/s1600/DSCF4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIk99ZxwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/t_LmZBGr8pk/s1600/DSCF4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIk99ZxwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/t_LmZBGr8pk/s1600/DSCF4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHIk99ZxwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/t_LmZBGr8pk/s1600/DSCF4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/molasses-cookies.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6577251917545597171?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-78066561751881287292010-11-15T16:54:00.007-07:002011-05-16T10:49:37.504-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was in the mood for cauliflower, and one of my favorite blogs (Smitten Kitchen) had just posted a recipe called, &quot;<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/cauliflower-and-parmesan-cake/">Cauliflower Cake</a>&quot;. Billy put this dish together and it turned out picture-perfect and delicious.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHG3gdBrMI/AAAAAAAAAkI/tcBgp_lWaDk/s1600/DSCF4345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHG3gdBrMI/AAAAAAAAAkI/tcBgp_lWaDk/s400/DSCF4345.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHHlv0KhtI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/8M38vVQhODc/s1600/DSCF4352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TOHHlv0KhtI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/8M38vVQhODc/s400/DSCF4352.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400"></a></div>Recipe Follows<br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/cauliflower-cake.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7806656175188128729?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-68971031882203906772010-11-13T11:33:00.002-07:002011-02-28T10:14:09.794-07:00Today, in reading Exodus 28:15-30, the first verse was striking. "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions-- the work of a skilled craftsman." I immediately thought about the human state, how we are constantly making decisions whether menial or actually life-changing decisions. To me, this verse is saying that God cares about us in our human nature, knowing that we are faced with making decisions everyday. &nbsp;In this passage, verses 15-30, God does not set out answers, He sets up a picture of His love for us (in light of knowing that we need to make decisions). He gives us a picture of communication. All of the gems that are to be mounted on this breastpiece represent all of the tribes of Israel. This is then worn next to the heart of Aaron. ("Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely (or forever) those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:23-25) All of these gems represent the different tribes, and today, for my personal application of the Word, I can see how God sees all of us different from one another. We are like the gems, &nbsp;all with different aspects. How God leads in our life is different from how He leads in another's life. One may be called to work a normal job, one called to missionary work, one to a pastoral position, another to being a "skilled craftsman"(vs. 15). We have different offices to fill and if we follow God's leading and live in the Word and by prayer, we represent the many facets of God's beauty-- His handiwork. Decisions-- God knows how we deal with making decisions, and here He has provided a picture of carrying us close to His heart in time of our need, in making decisions. And yes, making the life-changing decisions we feel lost in making, when we don't know what to do. God is powerful and all-knowing, and yet sensitive in hearing all of our hearts' cries.<br />(OICA= Observation, Interpretation, Correlation, <b>Application</b>)<br />- a note from Rachel's devotionals<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-6897103188220390677?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-35280743107445137982010-11-09T21:23:00.002-07:002011-05-16T10:49:57.739-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although we made this meal awhile ago, I think that it is worth posting about, even if it is two months late. The sauce was simple yet perfectly complimentary to the beef, eggplant, and bell pepper. I had finally mastered rice fit for Thai food by this point, and I&#39;ll include the simple instructions at the end of this post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNoVYZGC0MI/AAAAAAAAAkE/8fSQ3IJS3T4/s1600/DSCF4182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNoVYZGC0MI/AAAAAAAAAkE/8fSQ3IJS3T4/s400/DSCF4182.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-curry-with-eggplant-and-beef.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-3528074310744513798?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-73670187130501669032010-11-04T20:32:00.008-07:002011-05-16T10:50:27.605-07:00I found this seasonal recipe on Food Network, by <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/penne-wise-pumpkin-pasta-recipe/index.html">Rachael Ray</a>. She uses pumpkin as a sauce in this pasta dish, and it develops a warm curry flavor (although no curry is used). I have adjusted this recipe to my liking and have made it a couple times so far this Fall. The first time, as pictured here, I added chicken and bellpepper; the second time I kept it vegetarian yet subbed in roasted eggplant and bellpepper.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNN27F5YrTI/AAAAAAAAAkA/_XHhifa4Csw/s1600/DSCF4190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNN27F5YrTI/AAAAAAAAAkA/_XHhifa4Csw/s400/DSCF4190.JPG" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Recipe Follows....</div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-pasta.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7367018713050166903?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-22969056949963075262010-11-04T09:42:00.001-07:002010-11-07T23:46:40.448-07:00Two awesome birds, one stone. Rachmaninoff playing Chopin. Listen to them, love them.<br /><div><br /></div><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kj3CHx3TDzw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kj3CHx3TDzw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-2296905694996307526?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-70873474122557272782010-11-03T21:14:00.001-07:002010-11-03T21:15:20.523-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNIygHf9ryI/AAAAAAAAAj0/Aai3QI_XBRk/s1600/DSCF4311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNIygHf9ryI/AAAAAAAAAj0/Aai3QI_XBRk/s400/DSCF4311.JPG" width="300"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/decorating-with-hats.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7087347412255727278?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-3676154270578661822010-11-03T12:51:00.006-07:002010-11-03T13:26:17.801-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have finally updated our loft! Although it is not exactly perfect, we did some work and it&#39;s finally homey and comfortable. Billy painted, and we added a bed and a curtain. Last week, we had the pleasure of having his sister and brother-in-law over for a couple days from Texas. They were the first to stay up there with the updates and everything seemed to go fine. haha. We didn&#39;t match everything design or color-wise, but at least you know it would be live-able for a couple days. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNF5CiY-1qI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Jqibip_CJeA/s1600/DSCF4298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNF5CiY-1qI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Jqibip_CJeA/s400/DSCF4298.JPG" width="300"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bi-level photo, ascending into the loft.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNF6U4jnz_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/PtkGfwIfucU/s1600/DSCF4292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TNF6U4jnz_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/PtkGfwIfucU/s400/DSCF4292.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loft over-view.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/11/come-visit-us.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-367615427057866182?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-88588083473744752902010-10-20T22:17:00.004-07:002010-11-01T12:11:10.282-07:00Billy has been inspiring me to paint a lot lately. So here are a couple more paintings I did this week. I hope you enjoy!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TM8LlvVioNI/AAAAAAAAAjI/EKPw3jxCoco/s1600/DSCF4263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TM8LlvVioNI/AAAAAAAAAjI/EKPw3jxCoco/s400/DSCF4263.JPG" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Le Cafe I"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TL_MmTBLz8I/AAAAAAAAAi8/V8OupcovwN0/s1600/DSCF4261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TL_MmTBLz8I/AAAAAAAAAi8/V8OupcovwN0/s400/DSCF4261.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Reading at the Beach (in 1960s Tahiti)"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8858808347374475290?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-87885749734868107542010-10-19T22:20:00.001-07:002010-10-20T08:36:58.419-07:00Tonight's musical exploration: Charles Mingus.<br /><div><br /></div><div>There is much to be said for so many post-bop jazz artists. Some of them just hit so hard (like Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers) some of them swung then bopped then waxed philosophic then slept with white women to "Stick it To the Man." (a significant part of Miles Davis' career....uh, as he would see it.) But Mr. Mingus stands apart from the rest with his "bop" sensibility and adventures in the ethereal. I really can't say that you could go wrong by listening to anything by Charles Mingus.&nbsp;</div><div><br />-Billy<br /><br /></div><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EIf3a9FUJj4?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EIf3a9FUJj4?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>PS. This is not Haitian Fight Song, so I don't know why people insist on calling it so</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8788574973486810754?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-71433793829692294692010-10-13T09:51:00.005-07:002011-02-28T10:14:24.099-07:00I just finished reading judges, a sometimes difficult book to glean application from. But just like any other study, if you work for it you will be rewarded. The last couple of chapters are hard to read and just really sad. The Israelites went up against their own of Benjamin after the atrocity they committed at Gibeah. After they defeated them, they vowed not to let the remaining men of Benjamin marry any of their young women (keep in mind they killed all the women and children.) Then all of the sudden they find themselves lamenting that Benjamin will cease to exist after these 400 or so men die. So they say &quot;Well, we can&#39;t give you any of our women, we made an oath. So go to the festival where the young virgins dance and kidnap yourselves some wives and we won&#39;t chase you.&quot; ????!! At this point I am failing to understand what to gain from this. So a little insight from Matthew Henry really helped. Of Chapter Twenty he said:<br><br><br><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, &#39;Book Antiqua&#39;, &#39;Lucida Bright&#39;, &#39;High Tower Text&#39;, &#39;Palatino Linotype&#39;, Palatino, &#39;Bell MT&#39;, Centaur, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, Times, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: -0em; margin-right: -0em; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, &#39;Book Antiqua&#39;, &#39;Lucida Bright&#39;, &#39;High Tower Text&#39;, &#39;Palatino Linotype&#39;, Palatino, &#39;Bell MT&#39;, Centaur, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, Times, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: -0em; margin-right: -0em; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Israelites&#39; abhorrence of the crime committed at Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, &#39;Book Antiqua&#39;, &#39;Lucida Bright&#39;, &#39;High Tower Text&#39;, &#39;Palatino Linotype&#39;, Palatino, &#39;Bell MT&#39;, Centaur, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, Times, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: -0em; margin-right: -0em; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Sweet. Now I&#39;m getting it. We can act out of a desire for the right thing and take it the wrong way altogether. So God let Benjamin win the first two skirmishes because the people didn&#39;t seek Him on what to do.</span></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"></span></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"></span></span><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"></span></span></div><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/10/of-recent-bible-readings.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-7143379382969229469?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-7129923482068988872010-10-12T22:55:00.003-07:002011-05-16T10:50:55.060-07:00I re-created <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/creme-brulee-recipe/index.html">Alton Brown&#39;s Creme Brulee</a>. This was the second time I&#39;ve tried this recipe and I definitely recommend it. It is easier then you think and it is a very rich, creamy, and satisfying dessert (although maybe shouldn&#39;t be eaten too often!).<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TLVIYpoV1FI/AAAAAAAAAiY/HV5eBnafVGY/s1600/DSCF4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TLVIYpoV1FI/AAAAAAAAAiY/HV5eBnafVGY/s400/DSCF4224.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>The recipe makes enough for about 8 desserts (in the size ramekin pictured above). I only needed four desserts so I wanted to save the second half of the cream for later. <br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/10/part-2-creme-brulee.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-712992348206898887?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-83237670097428901782010-10-12T22:26:00.007-07:002012-01-06T18:26:11.797-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Billy and I had our good friends, Jeff and Amanda, over last week. Everything turned out amazing, and we all had a good time hanging out. I made an adventurous pizza, salad, and creme brulee for dessert. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TLPzssYVX7I/AAAAAAAAAiM/lLLrfXUzFe4/s1600/DSCF4222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TLPzssYVX7I/AAAAAAAAAiM/lLLrfXUzFe4/s400/DSCF4222.JPG" width="400"></a></div>The Pizza<br>There are many components to this pizza so I have each listed separately. It is important to prepare sauces and toppings ahead of time before you actually roll out the dough.<br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/10/part-1-roasted-vegetable-butter-garlic.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-8323767009742890178?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191604671334971756.post-42786252195089456632010-10-08T17:26:00.006-07:002011-05-16T10:55:26.498-07:00We have an abundance of prickly pears this time of year and last year all we did was kick them out of the way so they wouldn&#39;t stain the soles of our shoes. This year I wanted to put them to some use. Of course there are plenty uses for this versatile and under appreciated fruit, but I came up with one I am certain I would enjoy. So I decided to make a prickly pear blonde ale.  So, I boiled the wort...<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TK-ztD4HH2I/AAAAAAAAAh0/x30XYv_3wWg/s1600/DSCF4195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ayYW1waQGfw/TK-ztD4HH2I/AAAAAAAAAh0/x30XYv_3wWg/s400/DSCF4195.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br><a href="http://billyrachel.blogspot.com/2010/10/prickly-pear-beer.html#more">READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7191604671334971756-4278625219508945663?l=billyrachel.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Billy plus Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325178062992430589noreply@blogger.com0