new track

As a not-your-average-suzie, I wear many hats, some average and some not so average: wife, mother, home chef, photographer, and DJ.

Late to the party, I just discovered SoundCloud. Oh, joy! The site is full of wonderful songs to listen to and download. I even joined and can add up to 2 hours of music for free.

Please enjoy my live mash of two of Claude Von Stroke's songs that I am currently obsessed with: "California" and "Beat that Bird."

Check back for more uploads!

Beat that CA Bird, a mash up by Sparkletrot (me!)

http://soundcloud.com/sparkletrot

First Published Story!

And because I have not posted in months, you are getting a magic THREE posts today!

I was approached by a friend who is a content manager for an MSN site, published worldwide. She asked me to write a fictional story based on a classic portrait of a woman. The guidelines were pretty loose: write a first person account of the woman in the portrait, but with a modern twist. There were some rules here, but mostly they felt loose and vague. Oh, and it must be MSN-friendly.

I was given three portraits to choose from. It was a no-brainer. This shot has always rocked my world and intrigued me since I was a little girl.

Woman with Ermine, Davinci

After a few rough drafts and a few back-and-forths between my friend, the editor and the client, my story was published.

I had forgotten how wonderful it is to write a creative piece. Music, photography and reading are my great escapes. I rediscovered that I also love to tap into the artistic flow for writing.

Falling and Floating, by me:

http://www.womanityglobal.us/?section=walldetails&mediaid=1211856&cpdocid=24462096

Baby Beet Risotto

This should also get you in the mood for fall!

Baby Beet Risotto

By Suz

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 quart veggie broth

1 cup red wine

2 bunches of baby beets, trimmed, peeled and quartered

1-2 T brown grainy mustard or country mustard

1 cup Sheep’s milk romano cheese, grated (very tasty addition, but can be left out for a vegan recipe)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. heat vegetable oil in medium sauce pan over med-high heat. Add rice to the oil, stirring until coated with oil.
2. meanwhile, bring the veggie broth to a boil, then turn heat to low and continue to simmer.
3. While soup is heating, put beets in boiling water. Boil until al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Remove beets from water, reserving the cooking water.
4. add the wine to the rice, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add broth, one cup at a time, stirring often until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth and stirring until the broth is gone. Should take about 20 minutes
5. take 1 cup (or more if needed) of the reserved beet water and add to the rice, stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Add more water if needed.
6. remove rice from heat. Stir mustard into the rice. Add the cheese and stir until well- combined.
7. add the beets to the risotto and mix- in gently
8. salt and pepper to taste

prodigal post

oh hai, ye 2 faithful readers!

it's been a while.

I keep meaning to write, but life has been busy.

let's see. Summer happened since I saw you last.

Georgetown's Artopia with P (and a robot!)

a rare shot of my teen
and another

sunset at Gasworks park

fun on Camano Island

kiting to glorious colors

on a ferry with friends from LA

us, then & now, 14 years later

R's tag he created during grafitti class

atomic pink for my girl, a new 6th grader!

Ready for fall? I think I may be. Crisp mornings, changing leaves, soccer Saturdays, cozy stews and soups, windy evenings...yes. ready.