Watercolor Painting

So, due to a recent promotion at work the size of my office has doubled.  I had a little office that was very packed with colorful decorations that now seem dinky on my new, very blank walls.  There's a little corner of the office that is really only visible to me or those who want to come all the way in and across the room.  I wanted something inspirational there and I thought of the perfect thing for it:  a custom piece of art with one of my favorite song lyrics.

A little over a year ago Jenny Simmons came to an event at my church.  She was the lead singer of the band Addison Road and later went solo.  There is a song of hers called "What Faith's About" off of her album The Becoming that poses a great question:  "what if I jump and I find I was always made to fly?"  Good stuff.  That fits my philosophy on life pretty well.  I'm still reasonably cautious but certain events in my life and especially my health have taught me to do the things that scare me.  No regrets, all that jazz.  This line is a great reminder of that.

I've never been much of a painter and realized I didn't actually own any watercolors but that was the vision I had in my head.  I bought a 28 color palette at Michael's and it was the perfect amount for a blended sunset design.

I started by sketching out where I wanted things but my inexperience soon showed me that wet pencil equals smears of gray throughout the watercolored portions.  It was too late for the parts I had painted by I quickly snapped this picture and erased it all. 

I wanted to mimic a sunset in this piece so that's why so many colors came in handy.  I'm not much of a painter so it's hard for me to say, "now step one you will..." because that's not how it works.  Sure, there are some general principles such as "start with the lightest color" and "keep painting blend the colors so it won't look stripe-y" but other than that it's so loosey-goosey and free form.  Go with it.

You can still see the word "find" in the middle of the canvas (that's where I started painting because I remembered enough to know you start with the lightest color first while your water is still fresh and clean!).  With enough layers of paint most of the penciled in portion faded away.

I went back over the paint about an hour later.  I should have waited overnight but I have NO PATIENCE when it comes to finishing projects.  I sketched the words (I liked the earlier placement better but oh well) and the figures.  Then, I used a black paint pen and wrote over all of the words.  I later repeated this step to make them look more even as well as bolder. 

For the drawings I wasn't sure what I was going to do until the moment I picked up the pen and went for it.  I didn't want to paint them in because then they'd look cartoony.  I had more of an abstract version in my head and I was thinking "gray."  I didn't have gray but I did have a Sharpie paint marker.  It fizzled out quickly so I traded it for a silver Sharpie marker.  It worked splendidly. 

I've never been strong in my cursive writing so if I could change anything that would definitely be it.  I'd probably get a little more creative with the placement so it didn't read so jarringly.  My favorite part is how the colors blended together so well.  Love, love, LOVE that! 

Watercolor is a very entry level version of painting that is very forgiving and very relaxing.  What will you create?

Adi

Holiday Food Roundup

You may have noticed I took a blogging break last week because my house seemed to be full of people every other day.  We hosted Christmas lunch, a mini reunion with friends from out of town, and a GIGANTIC New Year's Eve bash.  On top of that, we insulated and decked the attic and did other various home projects.  It's the kind of vacation you need a vacation from, haha!

Let's start with Christmas Eve.  There's a good stuffed tomato recipe I found on Pinterest (you can see it here ) that I like to bring to parties but it takes for-ev-er to make because you have to scoop out all of those little cherry tomatoes.  This is probably the last time I'll bring it because people get excited about it and then they don't actually eat much of it because there's so much food!

I also made buffalo chicken meatballs that I found here but forgot to take a picture.  They were good but they don't keep very well.  (They get a little dry on reheating.)  I also made a yule log, or two, actually.  The first one I attempted was from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook and I forgot what a dud that recipe was.  As a reminder so I don't make this recipe a THIRD time I put a sticky note over the page that says "This recipe is complete crap!" so hopefully I'll avoid making that mistake ever again.  I went back to my old standby from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (aka the Kitchen Bible) and it worked like a charm.  I should do a separate post on that someday because it's not as intimidating as it sounds!

Moving on to Christmas lunch...

Is there anything as beautiful as a clove-studded ham?  Perhaps a cooked clove-studded ham?  I like to use Guy Fieri's recipe for Jimbo's Hambo minus the salsa, because I find fruit salsa rather odd.

Here's the spread:

-Christmas Ham, sliced
-Maw-Maw's corn casserole
-Hassleback potatoes with toppings
-Mom's dressing
-Broccoli-Rice Casserole
-Green Beans Amondine
-Burch family fruit salad (fruit in whipped cream)
-Rolls (Sister Schubert's!!)

I did not get a picture of the desserts because I was too busy making coffee and then stuffing my face, but they included:
-Pumpkin pie
-Clementine cake (half cake, half whipped cream)
-Cherry-o cream pie
-Coconut cream pie
-more fruit salad

The pies made another appearance at the reunion. 

New Year's Eve featured:
-Adam's famous chili
-guacamole
-bruschetta dip
-mulled apple cider
-lots of other stuff that people brought to the party

For the new year we're trying to focus on eating healthier (like 99% of the country) and I'm drawing some inspiration from a book on the Mediterranean diet.  As I typed that I was interrupted by the timer on my oven that let me know my bread pudding was done...looks like I need to study up on this "healthy" thing!

What are your goals for the new year?

Adi

Merry Victorian Christmas!

I think this post is best said through pictures.  Have a very merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Adi

 

 

Coconut Cream Pie

Oh my goodness I love this stuff! 

It seems I find more people who are anti-coconut than for it so I don't make it often but I made a double batch yesterday for some events this evening.  I use the recipe from the kitchen bible, aka the red and white checkered Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  I have the 75th anniversary edition and it has the neatest feature in the back of "top recipes through the decades."  The pie is a staple of the book, though, so it should be in any version you pick up.

I made a double batch and chose a pot that was WAY too big but I'm here to tell you that you CAN successfully double it (though I'll just go over the instructions for a single pie).  I made a big ol' mess!

Start by separating four eggs.  I usually do this in one of my Pyrex measuring cups (those glass ones with the little spout and the handle).  We'll be working with the yolks on this one--save the egg whites for an omelet.   Break up the yolks with a fork and set the eggs aside.  Mix 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of cornstarch in a pot and slowly add in 2 1/2 cups half and half (or milk).  Cook it over medium-high heat and keep stirring it for a while until it starts to thicken and bubble. 

It's important to keep stirring the mixture because otherwise a sludge will form on the bottom of the pan. 

Thanks a lot, cornstarch!

You'll reduce the heat at this point (I brought it down to medium) and continue to cook-and-stir for two more minutes.  Pull it off of the heat--I use another burner--and scoop out a cup of the hot stuff to mix with your egg yolks. 

Slowly pour the hot mix into the eggs while stirring so we can temper the eggs and start to raise the temperature.  Once you've mixed the cup of hot mix and the egg yolks you'll pour it BACK into the pot, stirring constantly so you don't end up with scrambled eggs! 

(A side note:  There are several cream pies you can make off of this recipe, and in some of the others it is VERY noticeable if you have egg chunks in your pie filling.  Because we're mixing in coconut this recipe is very beginner-friendly because even if you don't do a great job of incorporating the eggs the chunks won't be very noticeable because there's already other stuff in the cream!  There...I should now be done using the word "chunks"...how unappetizing!) 

Put the pot back onto the hot burner (about this time I kick up the heat just a smidge) and keep stirring until you reach the "gentle boil" stage.  Again, reduce the heat back to medium and do the cook-and-stir for two more minutes.  Turn off the heat, move the pan to a cooler spot, and add a tablespoon of butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix it up.  At this point we go in the coconut direction (otherwise, it's just a vanilla cream pie).  Add in a cup of shredded coconut and stir to thoroughly combine.  Pour the mix into your prepared pie plates.  (I don't like regular crust so I cheat and use the stuff that the Keebler elves make.)

Let it cool on the counter until it's safe enough to put into the fridge to cool all the way--I think I let mine sit about 45 minutes, mostly because I got distracted with other chores.  When you're putting the pie into the fridge it's a good time to also put in your mixing bowl and whisk attachment.

Since I come from a whipped cream kind of family (we are NOT a meringue bunch) I add whipped cream to my pies once they have cooled.  Pull out the chilled bowl and whisk and add a cup of heavy whipping cream.  I set my mixer on the second-highest setting and let it do its thing until it starts to get thicker.  Once it gets pretty thick I add a spoonful to maybe two spoonsful of regular sugar and continue to mix.  Once it starts to look nice and thick stop the mixer and taste test it with a spoon (because that's cleaner than your finger, of course).  If all is well then scoop it and spread it on top of your pie.  The final flourish is about a handful of shredded coconut.  (You can toast it first if you want but for me that usually turns into burnt coconut so I don't even bother.) 

Voila!  Delicious coconut cream pie!

Adi

Countdown to Christmas

So, funny story about this project...I'd had it pinned on Pinterest for several years and never got around to making it.  When I was at Michael's earlier this year I saw that decorative chargers were on sale and made an impulse buy because, well, it was pretty and like, a dollar fifty.  I picked up a red one and a bottle of chalkboard paint and settled in the craft room to get down to finally making it.  I wiped off the charger with a wet towel, let it dry, and put on a coat of chalkboard paint following the instructions on the bottle (brush on a coat horizontally and then another one vertically).  I set it aside for a couple of days to dry while I unpacked my Christmas stuff.

As I was unpacking I opened a box and found THE SAME CHARGER, only purple instead of red.  Apparently I bought it after Christmas last year with the intention of making it this year.  I mean, it was the SAME CHARGER--detailed scalloped edges and everything.  My best friend and I had decided to scale back our gift-giving but I was still looking for something a little more for her present.  Since she and her husband graduated from TCU (go Frogs!) I knew their theme was purple so I made it for her.

I think two coats covered the chargers nicely, and by that I mean two times going up and down as well as side to side for the most even coverage.  I let them dry for 24 hours (minimum) between coats as well as between the last coat and the writing.  The paint said to cover the surface with chalk to "condition" the dried paint so I did that and then cleaned it all off.  Using chalkboard marker (paint pen would work, too!) I wrote a semi-permanent message on it with the intention of updating the count each day in plain old chalk.  The last step is to make a BIG bow and hot glue it to the top.  I'm a fan of the jaunty side bow:

I just realized my handwriting is much straighter on hers than on mine, haha!  Oh well. 

If you're giving this as a gift allow yourself a few days for drying time--a minimum of three full days.  I wrapped a little plate/frame stand and a plastic bag with a couple of pieces of chalk in it and that's what I gave to her first.  She was (understandably) confused until I pulled out the charger.  I didn't wrap it because I didn't want to squish the bow, but if you do need to wrap it a bag would probably be best. 

Have fun!

Adi

Make Your Own Granola

Here's another easy gift idea:  jars of your own homemade granola!  I've been making mine own for the last 6 months or so and there are so many flavor combinations.  I got the inspiration for this flavor from another website but added my own spin to it.  Let's get started!

You will need:
-2 really ripe bananas
-5 cups of oats
-peanut butter (either kind, crunchy or smooth)
-cinnamon
-nutmeg
-vanilla
-honey
-salt
-other mix-ins such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, or slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Start by mixing the dry stuff. 

You'll want to add about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and half a teaspoon each of nutmeg and salt.  Add the cinnamon/nutmeg/salt combo to your oats and your other chosen mix-ins (I usually do almonds but I was out of them that do so chocolate chips it was!).

Next, mash the bananas and add a tablespoon of vanilla, half a cup of peanut butter, and a quarter cup of honey. 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients:

 Stir to mix them and spread the mixture over a large cookie sheet (sprayed or oiled so it won't stick).

Bake for 15 minutes and stir. 

Bake for 15 more minutes and stir again.

 

I found that it took 15 more minutes (45 total).  You'll want the top and edges to start to brown but don't let it get too dark.  I like to give it one more stir before leaving it to cool.  You can leave it in large chunks or crush it up into small pieces.  Put it into a treat bag or a mason jar and you've got a (fairly) healthy, homemade treat to give this season (or keep for yourself--it's great in some Greek yogurt)!

 

Adi

 

Christmas Light Flight

My father-in-law had a great opportunity to go on the flight and could bring one other person.  Lucky for me:  the other (local) family members did not want to go!  We got on the flight list for last night and off we went.

Now I love driving around to look at Christmas lights, but Christmas lights on a plane?  Sign me up!

Look at the cool nose art on this C47!

 

The cockpit:

 

They invited WWII vets to sign the plane and we were lucky enough to have one join us that night!  (He was 90!)  The messages around the plane were so neat. 

 

Here we go!

  

 

A few shots of downtown Fort Worth:

I may have gotten in trouble for having the flash on but those were the best pictures.  (I promise I did not even realize it!  I was just trying to get good pictures and the best were on sports mode!)  Maybe if I took the time to learn more about my camera I could have gotten some good pictures WITHOUT the flash.

It was a cool opportunity and I'm so thankful I got to go!  Here's a link to the Great Generation Aircraft website in case you're interested in touring Fort Worth from above.  We had a blast!

 

Adi