The colors are rich and beautiful. They are made of recycled glass and have beautiful glass flower feeding tubes. Great for your garden or your favorite outdoor space. For more information on hummingbirds please check out the The Hummingbird Society web site at www.hummingbirdsociety.org. Find out which birds are native to your area.

Promote and Support Local Business Women and Raise Money For Post Partum Progress, Inc.

http://www.thesassyshopgirlevents.com/

There are many ways to keep your room picture perfect but the best part is by decorating it with the right kind of Decorative Accessories for the Home and also with some very beautiful handcrafted furniture which would help you to reflect your personality in the room.  Where it is important for us that our guests as well as our family members, both feel comfortable with the decor. Bring some wamth and character in by using some of the hand embroidered pillows and natural Handcrafted Furniture which will also add color and liveliness to the room. The added touches of handmade ceramics and picture frames will add yet another dimension in the eclectic artisanry

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 750ml bottles sparkling wine, chilled (such as Spanish cava)
• 1 quart lemon sorbet (see recipe link below) or lemon ice cream
• 6-8 strawberries (optional for garnish)

Preparation:

Antakarana is made up of a group of single mothers that work under the guidance of Ana Maria Estrada. The artisans are inspired by the animal patterns found in the Colombian jungle for their painted motifs. Specially finished to endure humidity and heat, they are food safe.

Guarjila was a combat zone at the time of the civil war in El Salvador. In order to survive, the community had to leave their homes and run away to Honduras.

In the middle 80`s they returned and began to rebuild their lives. A group of women began to work in a little workshop in order to provide for their families.

Ana Manganaro`s Workshop

Today Ana Manganaro`s workshop has eight women embroidering with ribbon and threads products like bags, clothing and accessories.

They’re committed to offering  the best quality in every piece they make for their buyers .

May 11, 2010

Pine Island, NY — Sofia Gottfried recently launched Ulalas.com, an online style store of Latino-sourced furnishings. Named for the ulalas cactus that grows wild in South America, the venture began when Gottfried, whose family is originally from Colombia, could find no store focused exclusively on Latino-made products.

“Ulalas.com is the first store to bring together handcrafted products from different Hispanic cultures—all under one umbrella,” said Gottfried, a former product developer. The site currently features pieces from nine Latin countries but Gottfried plans to eventually include items from all 33. The Ulalas collection includes handcrafted sustainable tableware, linens, ceramics, art, and accessories that can mix with a variety of home décor styles.

Best sellers include La Chamba pottery, are dishes formed from black clay dug near Colombia’s Magdalena River that go from oven to microwave to tabletop. “La Chamba pottery is a great example of Latino ingenuity,” Gottfried said. “They are so versatile, yet they are made just as they were thousands of years ago, from black clay—the oldest clay in the world.” Hand-painted papier mache servingware and Guatemalan hand-embroidered pillows, each a collaborative work by women weavers of Panajachel, San Antonio Palopo, and Guatemala City, are also favorites.

Gottfried says there is no rhyme or reason to how she chooses items other than the common thread of the Latino culture. “I’ve always treasured my roots and had a sense of pride in things made in those parts of the world,” she says. “I like it when something has oomph!, and I like it when no two pieces are the same. But in the end, I simply choose handcrafts that speak to me.”

Posted by Susan Dickenson on May 11, 2010 | Comments (0) http://networkedblogs.com/3K7iK

‘Old Clothes’
Ropa Vieja

This dish gets its name from the shredded texture of the beef, which resembles clothes so worn they’re falling apart. If you’re Cuban, please don’t come after me for using chuck steak instead of the more traditional flank steak. Both are delicious, but I prefer the texture of the shredded chuck to that of flank. Other than that, this is a traditional version of a Cuban standard, which will taste better the next day.
Makes 6 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Pound the chuck roast or flank steaks out with a heavy meat mallet until about ½ inch thick. Season both sides of the beef generously with salt, pepper and onion powder.
 

2. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof, heavy skillet over high heat until rippling. Add the beef and cook it until well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain or spoon off most of the fat from the pan. Stir in the sofrito, 2 teaspoons salt, and the cumin and bring to a boil. Depending on how much oil was left in the pan, you may have to add a little olive oil to give the mix a nice, creamy texture. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, alcaparrado or olives, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover the dish and bake until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork, about 2 ½ hours. Let stand in the sauce until cool enough to handle.

4. Shred the meat coarsely by hand or using two forks. Return it to the sauce and add the celery and carrots. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook a few minutes more. Watch the liquid as it cooks, and add more broth of water as needed.

for more from Daisy Martinez: http://www.foodnetwork.com/daisy-martinez/index.html