Just make these

It is the weekend and you deserve a sweet!

Make these, seriously just make them

Here is the recipe

Snack break

 

Being a longtime vegetarian I am forgetting, or not remembering

what certain foods taste like.

Some are ones I never ate...or have no memory of eating, in this case tuna salad.

 

I have made it, tuna fish salad for hubby, but really guessed on what stuff went into it.

He makes his own now, I guess I was a bad guesser....

 

I recently came across this recipe and made it and have made it many times over again since.

if you are looking to lower your mercury intake, but still crave that texture I say give this a try.

Hubby tried it and said: "that was not what I was expecting, that is pretty good"

Here is how I make it:

In a mixing bowl combine all this stuff

 

1 can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans

2-3 stalks of chopped celery

1 shallot chopped

(it is milder then scallion or onions, but they work in a pinch)

1 heaping tablespoon of veganaise (or mayo)

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

I tablespoon of rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of tamari (or soy sauce)

a pinch of poultry seasoning (it is vegan, and a mix of herbs and spices)

a pinch of salt and pepper (white or black depending on taste preferences)

Smash it all up until the texture is to your liking

I like texture so I don't smash it to oblivion

Serve on toasted whole grain bread with tomato

yummmm

 

I'm here, keep your pants on....

OK so I have been busy...really busy, filling my head with images and sounds and sights...

I will share some of them with you now....

OK I ate this in the town that the Twilight boy was spotted in nursing his broken heart.
I kind of wanted to see him, even though I am not a twi fan...but I just had a lovely conversation with my sweetie instead



Here is the Edward Hopper painting that made me weep
at the SFMOMA.
(Click on image to see it larger)

Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Untitled (Rat and Bear, Sleeping), 2008/2009; installation

This is a piece called Rat and Bear Sleeping...that scared the shit out of me...they breathe...well look like they are breathing and I was afraid that they would get up and grab me.
I think I am still a little traumatized from it.

I got a head cold...I slept on the couch so I could sleep sitting up...it is not pretty.
I am giving you real life here people!

I completed my edition of bookplates for this show

This is a neighbor showing off his ocean caught fish...

much to the delight of the neighborhood girls.

The fish was horribly embarrassed

This is what I saw last week in TJ's, little girls in 4.5inch heels...

I am not sure I have moved past this either.

The wall of yet sold artwork from the local art auction.
It was hot and packed and there was loads of tequila

building next door to SFMOMA
click on image to see it larger and discover what I saw

More words in my next post...

Friday Already...

It is Friday and as of late, it seems to be my personal quest to avoid all of my pending deadlines.

(I will meet them or make them early, I just like to turn up the pressure it seems) 

Don't get me wrong, I really want to be doing everything I have signed up for; but at the same time I am having a really hard time deciding which task to handle first...so while I let my brain sort out those sorrid details...I decided to play with the camera.

Inspiration:

While I was doing a little guerrilla gardening this morning (our HOA has a gardener, but our sprinklers have never really worked on a regular or in a predictable way so I have taken it upon myself to create our little outdoor space) anywho, while adding new mulch this morning I saw our neighbor leave for work or errands. She had her hair all natural and full and it inspired me to see how far out my hair would go if I brushed my hair. My mother is ALWAYS saying that my messy head of hair would be far more manageable if I simply took a brush to it (she has strait hair) regardless how many times I tell her curls don't work like that.

OH My!! here is the results of my playing:

On a side note:

I am also TOTALLY overrun with zuchinni and have begun pickling it.

Using the squash instead of cuccumbers seems to be working out REALLY well.

Below is the recipe I use in case you are overwhelmed too:

Spicy Zucchini Pickles

oh, FYI don't pickle just any green cherry tomatoes unless they are literally right about to change color. Not all green tomatoes are alike, trust me I learned it the hard way. A green tomato doesn't mean just a green tomato, it means shy of ripe: green tomato.

Otherwise you too will have a sour, evil bomb of nastyness in your mouth that you try to chew just to be brave while your 3year old nephew watches horrified of the faces you are making.

 PLUS, that flavor lingers for far far far too long.

Cattle Call

I got an email about an Open Call for a big gallery in LA, it seemed crazy to go as I was imagining it was going to be like an American Id*l tryout or something...

I sat and thought about it, ok OPEN call means anyone can submit...ANYTHING as long as it fell under these requirements:

" No unfinished, multi-panel work, incomplete work, wet paintings, live animals, or anything considered unsafe.
No smaller then 12"x12"x12" no larger then 8'x8'x58"
~

At the very least it could be like an American Id*l tryouts...you know the ones we all watch and cringe at as people sing their hearts out only to have bubbles popped.

but...

It seemed strait forward and if I timed it right I could get in line and hope to be one of the first people there....and maybe get something in.
~

I didn't make up my flip-flop mind until the night before, after a lemondrop and some guacamole.

Hubby said it would be a great mini-adventure, so...

 I matted and framed the work and when I went to go kiss hubby goodnight it was 2am!!

I planned on getting up at 5am to get there two hours before they opened.

Setting the alarm was painful and as soon as I put my head on the pillow the alarm was going off,

 I turned to hubby and said

" boy my three hours just flew by, how about yours?"

We got into the car and he drove us down there arriving in no time flat, we planned on getting breakfast after the intake. I was number 6 in line!!

I knew I at least had a chance to get my stuff looked at, and then possibly accepted into the show.

As time ran by, all the stereotypes of artists showed up, it was great fun to guess which was which.

I chatted in line with the man behind me and we passed the time sharing resources.

Then the staff and tables started to arrive.

The staff put out hanging wire, extra eye screws, etc...I thought that was a nice touch.

An additional piece of paper was handed to all in line (that number was growing rapidly, I would guess there were about 200 people behind me, that I could see)

Cash only and then juror table.

White gloved curators greeted me and asked,

"what process is this"

took measurements of the art,

 and filled out a checklist of the work

After I answered the questions, the work was assessed I was told

"OK, have a beautiful day"

and I was in.

Then I turned to see the SEA of people in line; they seemed to be looking at my face for answers,

was it safe, were mean words said, will they like my art?

image via superstock.com

As we left to find food, we passed thru Little Thailand

There was an open farmers market and then I saw them, the line of saffron robed monks

with alms bowl in hand.

it was quiet and humbling

and

it reminded me of the uncertainty that surges thru your mind

how as artists, we are placing our work into the hands of another

and

asking for them to like it

to connect with it

to validate it

For many of us, we depend on it

Like the monks depend on the kindness of others for food/money

We didn't plan this part of the adventure well and we were both quite hungry and with that comes the fact that we are easily irritated. We drove, strait...direction unknown...food sought.
We passed right by the walk of fame, then the Kodak theatre, then Grauman's we saw Superman in the street and tour buses and the famous Fredrick's of Hollywood store.
then took Laurel Canyon up and over to Studio City and landed at the deli we all went to after my Uncles funeral a couple of years ago...
it was a mistake.
Bad food, both in choices and taste.
Breakfast was sad and afterwards I took the helm and drove us home.
It had only taken 60 minutes to drive in, but the drive home took over 2hours!

Despite the texting crazy drivers that were causing my blood to boil.

I kept thinking of my little prints against a wall, that kept a smile on my face
A nap and some digestive enzymes made it all into a wonderful dream.

I can't wait for the scene at the reception!

So far this year....

I took a whole week away from the machine shop to work on my work!

It was a promise I had made to myself as well as much needed focus time, being that the holiday season is over (still haven't made our yearly card, oops) and there is a TON of chocolate still in the house (bad considering I was aiming to go vegan this year)

Let's start with a surprise my beloved made happen for me, I have been working in my "studio" for over two years now with no overhead lighting, I have a floor lamp and a little full spectrum light to help me see at night when I do lino or whatever, but all in all I am really not able to work in the room at night. It ends up being fine for the most part but with my constantly growing list of goals the daylight needs to last a little longer for me. Well my sweetie, had a day off last week and treated himself to a new guitar toy that I have been begging him to just get already! After picking up his new bells and whistles, he stopped and got me a gift too! 

When I came home he told me " I can't keep a secret from you" and gestured over to his new guitar toy....I was so happy for him and he showed me all the sounds it can make. Then he turned and was standing my my studio door and said " I can't keep a secret from you" and opened my door to reveal:

LIGHTS!!

What an amazing surprise!! I was crying I was so happy. 

I love my man

The week off started with me making some new plates in the shy sun, it was great that the sun was SOOO unpredictable as it allowed me to see how little sun I needed to make plate. I was taking risks and they paid off. I made four new plates!

the sliver of sun that allowed me to make the new plates



curing the first plate in a sunny window



These new plates allowed me to finish a submission that I had promised to Fairbanks Gallery,

and as soon as the ink is finished drying I am shipping them off! (hopefully tomorrow)



Listen, photopolymer etching
edition of 15 for Fairbanks Gallery
2011 Cascade print exchange



I also completed some new plates with some images I could not stop thinking about. My work does that to me, it haunts me and flashes the images over and over again in my mind....it leaves me feeling propelled to make it and I find myself shifting things in my life to make it happen.

Laundry, who needs clean shirts when I have art to make!

Fueled by a constant supply of leftover holiday chocolate and I am not even a chocolate fan like that, I feed on what is available when I work so unfortunately it is an easy source of badly chosen food options.

I had a pretty productive week:

of the three times I left the house this week, one of the times I

got a new set of PJ's that make me feel like a 40's moviestar

they were $4

Love the white piping and pearly buttons!!

I did some new TTV photography!!

New images are posted on my folio site

Theo doing his vampire bat impersonation

pulling new work off the press, color images to come soon

they are still unnamed so I am not ready to show them in their glory yet.

FINALLY turned the soil in the gardens, mind you with a rototiller that died mid-way, but I am planting food later today, so soon I will share growing food pictures.

oh and I found out that the article that Society805 did with me just before my solo show, was the most read Arts and Culture article for 2010!!

Adventure Food

Cowboy breakfast



On our little adventure last week, we only stopped a few times coming up the coast so I could pee....we packed some food, but we never seem to pack the right things so when the time to eat comes around we never want to eat what we have so carefully packed.

argh...maybe someday we will crack that code

On the way back out, we left before the sun came up and by the time we were an hour or so out we got hungry...seeing as we only had candy bars and carbonated water and some sadly post refrigerated leftover food ( you know the stuff that has been left in the cooler, then placed in a fridge and now has a funny damp smell) to choose from we stopped for breakfast. We were in cattle land...so we had a choice of Denny's or a "cowboy cafe" we choose the cowboy place, as it was a small diner and we figured it would have more locals and or good cookin'

Our cowboy breakfasts arrived and it was the perfect meal to help get past a hangover.
Sadly, neither of us was hung over so it was simply a greasy spoon.

Giddy up little Tagamet®

morning flush

I shot out of the house early this morning in order to make the community workday at our garden.

Seeing as water was falling from the sky, lightly...workday was canceled.

I spent an hour and a half alone in the garden weeding our plots and making them look far less wild.

The remainder of the day was spent making new linocut work for my upcoming boutiques and holiday sales before heading out to Fondue with friends.

Currently feeling the effects of cheese, wine and carbohydrates

yummmmmm

Sound of Chewing

Sunday is my slower day...so we due boring things like

get groceries, do laundry and eat what is left in the house.

random thing for sale at the market today

While looking for something to write about I came across pictures of food.

I take pictures of food from restaurants, I like to record what I am about to eat....or have eaten.

My hubby doesn't even notice anymore that I pull out my camera, often before I take the first bite of food. So here is a few for your viewing pleasure.

the butter had created a hole in the pancake
breakfast today from Cafe Nouveau

Veggie Sushi in the middle and right bottom
The best in town: I Love Sushi

I am a sucker for Indian...this was SUPER delicious!
Reminded me of Nepal food: Cafe India

This will stop your heart!
Veggie altered dish at Tony's in Carpinteria

Ok now go brush your teeth and have sweet dream!

Tummyaches For All

WARNING...

this post contains a tart that you MUST MAKE and consume the same night to make all evidence disappear!

Tuesday nights version

So after reading one of my favorite blogs FUSSY, I was inspired to make a new dessert, I mean read the post and you too will be wooed into gettin' a bakin'.

~~~

With this image seared into my mind I swept myself off to the Farmers Market this last weekend to get some LONG awaited fruit. Being a vegetarian has some seasonal issues when you eat seasonally...mainly winter veggies can only really hold their charm for a month or two max and then you start wanting some serious change in flavor, that no amount of garlic or salsa can help you with.

So when JACKS FRUIT appears at my local farmers market you know that summer is softly appearing and every flavor of the rainbow is yours to be had!

YUM YUM YUM Love love love indeed.

After getting $13 worth of nectrines, plums and peaches and three baskets of strawberries I was dreaming of my perfect tart and I was off to get a baking!

Lets just say it was a SUPER easy recipe and made for a super yummy pair of tarts...if you are like me two people can finish off one tart and a mild to moderate tummyache will follow depending on how much food you ate prior to eating this tart. I played with jam flavors and fruit combos...

but tonights version had my eyes rolling in my head and the tummyache did not follow.

Maybe I have built up a resistance or something.

Please do yourself a favor and eat the whole thing, that way you can make a new one the next night !

MORE TARTS!!

27th- Evidence of a good meal

Dinner last night was amazingly relaxing and yummy....

pick one from the appetizer, one entree and one dessert
There was a RAW option in each area...but I went traditional.
I ate it all and left with a full belly and a happy heart!
(you can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

hubby started the day by making an apple pie from scratch

mother and son...and a sunset at the restaurant

let the food begin...

salad option

dinner

mushroom option

desserts!!

peter-in-law

Hey the only bummer about getting dinner out is the lack of leftovers!!

I'm kind of hungry now...