Change of pace

No sewing for me this weekend - I have an assignment due tomorrow for one of my classes so I've been click-clacking away. Thank heavens for my laptop which allowed me to work outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. My skin even has that tight "you got too much sun" feeling. Since when do we need sunblock in New England in October? One plus about spending so much quality time with the computer was that it reminded me of an easy project I whipped up a few weeks ago. I needed a wrist rest but I couldn't bear the thought of bringing one of those gel-filled plastic ones into my house. Too new plastic smelling, not eco-friendly and, frankly, not pretty enough. So I made one. I used one of my favorite Heather Bailey fabrics paired with a cream colored ultra suede for the bottom (the ultra suede provides a little more friction than cotton and prevents it from sliding around). Three seams on the sewing machine, about a pound of flax seeds mixed with a little dried lavender, slip-stitched the open end closed, and voila, a lovely and functional way to ward off carpal tunnel syndrome. My favorite thing about it? The occasional soothing whiff of lavender that accompanies particularly vigorous typing.



I did take a break long enough to make a pot of soup so that we won't starve for the next few days. It's one of my favorite recipes and one that I made up myself. So simple and so satisfying, we eat this at least twice a month through the fall and winter.

Turkey Curry Meatball Soup

In a large stock pot, add the following:

3-4 carrots, peeled & diced
2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & bruised (smack them with the side of a knife)
1/4 cup powdered chicken broth (I use Vegeta)
1 tablespoon curry powder

Fill pot with water until vegetables are submerged ~2 inches. Bring to a boil on high heat. While soup is heating, prepare meatballs:

1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 egg
1 handful dry bread crumbs (I use gluten-free)

Work ingredients together with your hands until you have a homogeneous mixture. Form into ~24 meatballs. When soup has come to a boil, drop meatballs in one by one to prevent them from sticking together. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender and meatballs rise to the surface (indicating they are cooked through). Add a generous grinding of fresh black pepper and serve. It keeps in the fridge for about a week, but it will be long gone before then.

Enjoy!