Hello, beautiful!

I hope the universe is treating you kindly, this week.  I had a productive day today, getting lots done at home and at the shop.  Kind of a day to re-set. Did you see my video, on Facebook, making this sweet door hanger?  It’s a great way to welcome a little spring into your home.

This evening, I made a wonderful pot of soup. The best ever, shared by my daughter-in-law, Landi.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Mr. Wonderful makes a delicious roasted chicken during the winter months.  Being just the two of us, there’s always lots of chicken left over. So, while warm, Bob de-bones the remaining chicken, for soup.

Ingredients:

– 1 medium onion

– 2 or 3 sticks of celery

– 2 carrots

Dice veggies and sauté in 1 T of butter and 2 T of olive oil, for about 10 minutes.

Add 3 minced garlic cloves and add to veggies.  Stir for about 30 seconds and then add 2 T of flour.  Stir mixture for another minute or so.

Add 2 quarts of chicken broth and stir, to dissolve the flour. Add 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. (I used oregano and it worked fine)

Bring the soup to a boil.  Cover soup, lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 Cup of uncooked orzo pasta and cook for another 20 minutes, with the lid off, stirring occasionally.

After the orzo has cooked, add 2 cups of chopped chicken, 3 T of lemon juice and if you have it on hand, another 3 T of cream.  I had about a cup of broccoli left over from the night before, so I chopped it and added it.

Enjoy!  It’s one of our favorites and nothing too complicated.

Dori’s workshop on Saturday, was enjoyed by all!

Since we don’t have a large workshop on the calendar in the near future, we broke down the tables and stored them, making room for all of the goodies we’re expecting to arrive in the not-too-distant future.

Winter Sale continues..

We’re discounting all winter clothing 45% off, this week! Next week will be the final week of the sale, at 50% off.

New I.O.D. Release!

Iron Orchid Designs new spring release will be for sale on Tuesday, February 14th.  Stop by the shop, to take a peek!

Well kids, that’s it for now.  Bob, aka Mr. Wonderful, turns 80 on Thursday.  Hard to grasp.  I’m telling him it’s the new “65”!  We’re going to celebrate, by playing hookey and running up to Tahoe for a couple of days.  I haven’t been up since October!  My brother called today, saying he’s never seen so much snow at our place.  At least the lake will be full this summer and the forests will have gotten a good drink!

Until we meet again, stay well and be the one who smiles first.

XO, Barbara