This is What I have Time For

I have been neglecting to post much since I started my new project. Mostly because conditions aren't perfect. For example, I have an idea for a great lighting set up that I can never complete for a multitude of reasons including my ever present infant under tow. So I shot some photos of some great pizza I made using a point and shoot camera in our regular lit kitchen because this is what I have time for. My little guy held still just long enough. In other happenings I have made it back to the studio for some brief moments and I am planning a cup sale in my online shop. I know it's spring everywhere else, but in New York we are deep in mud season.

Gluten Free Pizza Two Ways

I have been making this Bob's Red Mill recipe for pizza crust since it has been necessary for me to make Gluten Free Pizza. It is good every time, but it is especially good when I take extra care to time the yeast and warm water as the recipe calls for and lightly fill the cups with flour, not pack them. I always make a double recipe and cook the pizzas in cast iron skillets with olive oil and a sprinkle of cornmeal in the bottom. The first pizza is a more traditional Pesto Pizza that my partner prefers. The second pizza is a fancier Arugala and Brie pizza I prefer. Since moving to New York I have discovered brick oven pizza. When done well the crust is thin and crispy and the cheese is well done on top, when done poorly....it's just poor. This is the kind of pizza I prefer with gourmet toppings and just enough cheese to make it taste good, not ooze with cheese. I always use fresh mozzarella, which tastes better and spreads a lot so you don't have to use much.

After making the crust place it in your pan, when handling the crust make sure your hands are very wet, you may have to re-wet as you work the dough into a flat pizza crust. The next step is toppings.

For the Pesto Pizza:

You will need, about a half cup prepared pesto. Here is my recipe. 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes. Spread pesto over crust, top with tomatoes then, slices of fresh mozzarella. Be sure to give the mozzarella plenty of room to spread out, you may have left over mozzarella, I usually use about 1/2 a ball per pizza. Bake according to directions.

For the Arugula Brie Pizza

You will need 1 small round of brie, I used a really delicious goat brie, 1 cup arugala, 1/3 cup carmelized onions, 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms soaked according to package directions, capers and sundried tomatoes to taste. Slice brie and cover crust with evenly spaced slices. Again you want to leave room between the slices of cheese, brie is very rich. Top with onions, mushrooms, and as much capers and tomatoes as you like. Bake according to directions. Add arugala piled on top for the last five minutes of cooking.

I totally made up all the measurements for the toppings :) So use them as a loose guideline! What do you like on your pizza?

P.S. These are featured on a lovely test for a cake stand I made last summer.

Recipes

There are a few problems with my new project that have been causing me to put it off. It's not for lack of ideas and yummy cooking that's for sure! One problem, I don't make plates. They are finicky, difficult, use a lot of clay, and for some reason never work for me. So I foresee some interesting cup presentations. Two, all of my pottery is packed up from the last show I did. Three, I need to clear a path to my photo area and set it up so that I can take stellar photos instead of mediocre ones. The list goes one...but enough excuses. I will be doing some pottery/recipe posts this week, however I have some recipes that are too delicious not to post, although I didn't manage to take any photos until they were half demolished.

A Heart Shaped Chocolate Spelt cake, with Candied Blood Oranges and fresh whipped cream. It is essential that this cake be eaten with fresh whipped cream, and be shaped like a heart! If you've never made fresh whipped cream it is so easy that I can't really believe we eat it out of cans. Buy a carton of heavy whipping cream (I certainly advise you buy organic, the small Organic Valley carton makes a great deal of delicious whipped cream), pour into a tall bowl and use an electric mixer or whisk to beat into fluffy whipped cream. You may also add sugar or vanilla to taste. I usually eat it plain. Another word about the cake, it can be a little dry, so I recommend subbing maple syrup for half the sugar, and pouring all the syrup from the blood oranges on top. Also I use white spelt flour, and instant coffee powder if I can't find espresso powder.

Next up from one of the richest meals ever.....Pesto Risotto!

I love making risotto. Lately I have been making a great butternut squash sage flavored dish, but on our family trip to NYC, we were lucky enough to discover the Risotteria, via a good friend. This is a great choice for those who can and can't eat gluten. Their risotto menu is amazing, so for Valentine's day I made up this rich dish. I used the basic risotto recipe here, but instead of chicken stock I used veggie. I wanted a rich flavor, so I used half porcini mushroom stock half veggie, and also steeped fresh thyme and sage in the stock. Also I usually use less butter. Prior to cooking the risotto I whipped up a fresh batch of pesto-

Pecan Pesto

2 Cups fresh basil, packed

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

To make the pesto first mince garlic, I do this buy putting it in the food processor first and processing alone. Next add pecans and cheese, pulse together. Finally add the basil and oil, reserve some of the oil to stream in while the rest is processing. Add vinegar or lemon juice, then salt and pepper to taste. Process one last time. I usually use pecans or walnuts in pesto, because I just can not spend the money on pine nuts....they have gotten so outrageous! Also, I prefer the taste of the lemon here, but vinegar preserves the green of the basil better, so it's up to you.

Prepare pesto, dollop a quarter cup or so on top of freshly made basic risotto....enjoy all the calories!

Floral

I have always found that my work reflects my life, and evolves as I change locations. When I lived in Florida my work was very bright and cheery. It was fun to make and fun to use. At the very beginnings of my pottery career in Southern Illinois it was very earthy, yet delicate. And now, in bitterly cold and gray, rainy and snowy New York State (not city) my work has taken on a black undertone. When I lived in Florida my favorite color was pink, pink, pink. When I lived in Southern Illinois my favorite color was green. In New York my favorite is gray, it comes in so many lovely shades. And adding a black undercoat to my work gives it dimension. I love the effect it has taken. But this is quite a shock to my pink, pink past.

The black started innocently, I needed a gift for a friend that wasn't so bubble gum colored. The results were interesting, but I wasn't sold quite yet. And then, close to a year later I was pregnant and needing to steer clear of anything not commercially mixed and stamped non-toxic. And I had been doing some drawing. I came across an interesting technique using wax resist to inlay underglaze on bone dry clay. I will give the details of this process later, but it led to drawing on pottery which led to more drawing. What I want to mention here is that I have been doing some drawing lately that will translate well with this process.

Here are some of the floral drawings I have done since Silas was born. And then I think I'll wrap up this post before Mr. Snuggly wakes up....I tried to finish this yesterday to no avail.

So this is a start, although a little lacking in concept. I am hoping to push this imagery further, into something more complex. I always appreciate feedback!

xoxo

New Project Part 1

This is the first post regarding my new food project-displaying exciting and delicious recipes in my handmade pottery. I am making this project while staying home and taking care of my baby boy, Silas who is now seven weeks old. Silas's birth has brought so many wonderful things to my life, but in terms of creativity I was really stumped. I spend a lot of time feeding him and looking at recipes which is how I came upon this idea. The other night after spending a weekend mostly on the couch I decided I must get started. I learned a lot from my first try at food photography. Here is a link to one the best food photos I have seen lately. It is beautiful and on one of my favorite food blogs, Phoo-D. So I started with a meal I had been thinking about in my head for a while, an earthy vegetable rice dish, with a side of oven fried zucchini. It tasted great, but prompted the response, what kind of pretty food can you make for this project? Ha-ha, it is true, winter food is usually roasted, stewed, homey, and delicious....although not nearly as beautiful as say a summer time meal inspired by the garden. So here is a very loose recipe for a very yummy and satisfying lentils and rice with roasted butternut squash.

For this recipe you will need:

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup dry black lentils

2 1/2-3 cups veggie stock

1/2 carrot diced

1/2 onion diced

1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped

as much garlic as you want, minced I think I used 3 cloves

1-2 Cups butternut squash peeled and diced

Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and red wine vinegar for flavoring

One thing you should know about my cooking is that I usually don't measure anything and I cook things until they are done. I also cook by tasting, when something tastes good it is done. For this project I am trying to change my ways. I also have a heavy hand when it comes to spices and herbs. and garlic. For this recipe feel free to use dry thyme if you don't have fresh. Also I often cook based off of leftovers, so use as much butternut as you think you want.

Step 1-Cook rice, I have never had success making any pilafs or rice dishes with brown rice where everything is cooked together, so I always cook the rice separately.

Step 2-Toss butternut in olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper, then roast at 400 F, for about 20 minutes or so.

Step 3- While butternut and rice are cooking, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil, until onions are translucent. Add carrots and herbs, season with salt and pepper. When carrots are soft add lentils and stir, then add 2 1/2 cups veggie stock. Bring to a boil, then let simmer with the lid on for about 45 min or until stock is absorbed and lentils are soft. Add more stock if needed. When lentils are cooked add cooked rice and season with sea salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar until tasty. Gently mix in roasted squash and serve.

I also made this delicious oven fried zucchini recipe to eat with this meal. I threw together a very tasty chipotle mayo to dip them in-1/4 cup vegenaise (you could also use mayo, but I much prefer vegenaise), chipotle in adobo and white wine vinegar to taste. (of course) I can't recommend this recipe for oven fried veggies enough! Fried veggies are one of my weaknesses and I can't wait to try some more vegetables with this recipe.To end this very long post, I have learned quite a bit. One, I have a ways to go with my food photos. These were taken with a fussy baby in the background in natural light, with a point and shoot camera. I found my SLR and have plans for better photos soon. Two, food looks much better warm than cold. Three, I am going to have to transition into being a night owl again. Sigh.

Some exciting ingredients I picked up this week- almond flour, blood oranges, porcini mushrooms.....

New Year, New Projects

Well, now that we are almost one month into the new year, I am back to the blog! Hopefully for real this time....although during my pregnancy I learned that I am not very good at sticking to internet goals, so I certainly won't be making any for myself while I have an infant at home. On that subject...V and I welcomed a baby boy last month we named Silas.So this leaves me lucky enough to spend my days watching my baby grow, thus limiting my time for any projects. But we still have to eat. And since I spend much of my time in front of the computer reading and feeding someone else I have become a bit more food obsessed than usual lately. Oh and I've been eating chicken. and some bacon. For anyone who knew me years ago this is probably shocking news! I will say I limit my meat consumption to supporting farmers who are raising meat organically or locally or if someone happens to bring over something I want to try... I know that often cooking is one of the first things to go for new parents, but I really look forward to it and plan for it. forty garlic clove roast chicken, pecan chicken breasts, banana bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, risotto, oven fried zuchinni These are some of the things I have been up to when I have a minute. But, my pottery is always on my mind, so I have created a new project for myself that I can do from home and combine with my food passion/obsession. I am going to be cooking new recipes and photographing the results in/on my pottery. It's a great way to showcase my work. I am also going to submit the really great results to Tastespotting, a food website I love to skim through and get ideas from. I am also going to share some of my recipes as well. I have also been drawing as you can see from my new header photo-my other project to keep myself busy is one drawing a day....I'll be posting those too, but for now I must go feed someone!

Finally!

That's really the best title I can come up with. My blog is always on the back of my mind, but things get away from me. I have been super busy working full time, getting ready for the holiday season, and you know being pregnant! This season I will be doing two holiday craft events, one is November 6th in Rochester, NY. MayDay Undergound! It looks like it should be a really fun event, and my mom will be there helping us out. Also depending on when baby decides to come out, I may be joining some other local artists here in Cortland for an evening of shopping, wine, and appetizers at Hairy Tony's. This was a great event last year, so I am hoping that little baby stays in until at least his due date. The event is December 8th, and I'll try to post more details later. Here are some shots of what I've been up to lately. I'm trying out a more graphic look and would love some feedback! Thanks! xoxo




As always all of these treasures can be found on my online store......and these new works will slowly replace any sale items, so get the sale items while you still can!

The Best Laid Plans...

I think I said in my last post I would be posting more often....that was almost a month ago! So my new goal is just posting, periodically. When I can. Between my pregnancy induced nesting and our whirlwind wonderful summer I haven't found much time, and work is starting up again. We have been to London, Wales, Chicago and back, and then an extended stay in the Hudson Valley. All the while enjoying summer's best sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, basil, peaches, and berries. Unfortunately I forgot my camera when I went to Hudson and I think I took about five photos in Chicago. Including our lovely cupcake tower from my baby shower!

While in Chicago we managed to checkout an Alexander Calder exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibit is beautifully arranged and I really recommend checking it out if you find yourself in the area. The same day we enjoyed a great meal at Mana Food Bar with great friends. I loved that most items on the menu came in small and large portions so you could order more than one thing. They had great outdoor seating as well.

In the Hudson Valley our main mission was a certain set of twins fabulous 6th birthday party where I did a little face painting and we all ate some delicious food. The cakes were beautiful butterfly cakes and I wish I had a picture of them and the face painting. We spent the rest of the week playing with said six year olds, lots of drawing (including some new surface design ideas), and the above mentioned summer harvest goodies.

Before leaving I did get some work done in the studio that I am pretty excited about. I have a bunch of new shelving (really need to fill it!) and a new glazing station. This is pretty much a set up I have been wanting for several years and I am so happy that it is finally ready for me. I have been toying with a lot of new ideas for surfaces. I am trying to only use commercial products during my pregnancy and I haven't really glazed much. With the holidays approaching I will have to finish some work, and I think I've got some tricks up my sleeve....more photos of that later. Here are some shots of my new studio lay-out and do check out my summer sale in my etsy shop these prices won't last!