kitchen creations

As the daylight gets shorter, and the weather gets cooler, it is time to spend more time being creative in the kitchen. Here are two yummy things to make!

1. Chicken Shlop (kind of like chicken pot pie)

1 or 2 chicken breasts
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
½ a white onion, chopped
¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup frozen corn, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of store-bought biscuits (the kind in the scary peel-n-pop can)

I baked the chicken breast ahead of time, and then cubed it. I sautéed the onion, carrots, and celery and added salt & pepper. I cooked the potatoes in water separately. I added all of this cooked stuff along with the peas and corn to a pot with the can of soup and warmed it up... here you have your pie filling! Then put a little bit of the filling on the bottom of a baking dish, add 6 biscuits (10 came in the can I bought, but I only used 6 of them and baked the other 4 for use in another meal later) then add the rest of the filling right on top of the biscuits. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes until the biscuits puff up and start to peek out through the filling and get a nice golden crispy top. Very colorful and hearty and the leftovers are good too!

2. Tomato Sauce

I learned this one while staying with my friend Amanda (and Sabrina) in chilly Vermont.

Cherry tomatoes
Italian style breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil

Throw all that stuff in a baking dish. Leave the tomatoes whole, unless they are super huge, then cut ‘em up into about 1-inch cubes. Use about ¼ cup of cheese and ¼ cup of breadcrumbs for each pint of cherry tomatoes you use. Drizzle the olive oil over everything and toss the tomatoes until they are coated. Also add salt, pepper, oregano or whatever Italian seasonings you like. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or so, stirring every 10 minutes. I like to smash it up a little. Then use as pizza sauce or serve over pasta! I like to add fresh basil at the end... enjoy!

check it:

visit Acme in Carrboro, NC anytime from NOW through November 27 to check out my artwork on display!

canvas paintings/mixed media
bottle cap stuff
photos

all for sale!!

another nc

another NC inspired piece. with a stripe of phone book pages.

tennessee

More caps!!


These are part of a one Mr. John Winton's collection, I just made a home for them. They feature Memphis, TN and Germantown, TN where Mr. Winton resides. While making these, I had a neat idea for other map cap art... check back for updates on that!

a different light

Check out these lamps made from used ink cartridges! David made them. The chandelier is hanging in our kitchen. It makes the prettiest pattern on the ceiling when it is on... and it lights the space better than our original dining area fixture. I think we will keep it up for a while.


The smaller lights make great desk lamps or night lights... great for a dorm room! If you know a college student, send them off to school this month with unique and roommate-friendly lighting! Available at: www.boxlightbox.etsy.com

north carolina

Another new piece with bits of NC map! The tiny rust-colored stripe is made out of embroidery floss. What city or state should I do next?

golden state

Here is my latest painting...




Acrylic on canvas featuring a map of San Francisco and the Bay area in California. Mary and I took a sister trip there last spring and I would definitely go back again to visit.

Later... more art with NC maps.

the tiniest little ship

Sabrina gave me a "make your own ship in a bottle" kit one Christmas. I have been so afraid to put it together because the pieces are all so tiny and I didn't want to mess it up. I got the courage yesterday to give it a try...


I added the little pirate flag. This was not an easy project, but I am happy with the result... it's so cute!

action!

Memorial Day Weekend project #3: Sarah's bag

here is the latest in the verb tote collection. a blue tote specially requested by a fabulous runner gal...



two sides! I hope she likes it.

circles

Memorial Day Weekend project # 2: a new painting

Finally... new work on canvas. I used some scraps from the window project.

stools

Memorial Day Weekend project #1: stools
I got these stools from Uncle Randy a few years ago. I also got some pretty blue fabric from Grandmom that I've been itching to use...

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Memorial Day Weekend Crafting Extravaganza!

In lieu of battling traffic during this long weekend, I've decided to knock out a few crafting projects that have been on my mind.

1. repainting and recovering some old stool seats
2. make a new painting
3. make a verb tote for Sarah

These should keep me busy. Stay tuned for pictures of the results!

may flowers

we took a walk at Duke Gardens this morning...

the windows

I have temporarily abandoned the wallpaper ideas due to the discontinuation of the pattern I wanted. I did make a trip to the new IKEA in Charlotte though recently and found some pretty window treatments. Mom came up and helped install the new look...

BEFORE:
heavy, dark, blah



AFTER:
light, fresh, open, bright, hip, lovely.

i'm a pepper

I have recently discovered that I actually like peppers!


I cannot get enough red peppers, especially on a pita with goat cheese and toasted juust a little bit. Now I am trying all of the colors... they are so vibrant and beautiful! Who knew they could be so delicious? I certainly did not like veggies as a kid. Now I want peas in every casserole and tomatoes on everything. Here is a recipe that I have had already 3 times this week (and yes I realize it is only Tuesday):

1 spinach tortilla wrap
2 tbs red pepper hummus
spring mix or spinach greens
alfalfa sprouts
shredded carrots
slivers of all colors of peppers!
a couple of cucumber spears

spread the hummus on the wrap, pile all the veggies in, roll it up!
The creamy hummus and wrap paired with the freshy crunchiness of the peppers and carrots and cukes... so good. It is a perfect introduction to spring, and I cannot wait for more fresh veggies. More creative ideas from the kitchen soon!

redo

Well, the wallpaper project is on temporary hold since the pattern I wanted is discontinued. Any suggestions on where to find modern and pretty wallpaper?

In the meantime, I redid my biggest bottle cap frame. It matched my room at my parents house (which has been repainted) so it was time for an update and coordination with MY house. I repainted it, and then took all of the caps out and organized them by color.

Before:



After:

gray and grey

Finally! I finished another painting.


Acrylic on canvas, and a couple of layers from the phonebook.


I am liking the gray lately. The next project will be more work on the house. I want to wallpaper the vanity area of the bathroom... then paint the shower/toilet part one color and the bedroom another color so it all flows nicely. I have this in mind for the wallpaper:


Mostly neutral colors... but it has the gray that I am loving right now, and some pale yellows.
Stay tuned for the before and after of that project in April!

the blues

Here are some shelves I made with my dad:


Three separate boxes that can be put on the wall in any arrangement... I used to have 2 in the bedroom and 1 above my desk at my last house. Now they are all in the living room as kind of a statement art piece, and for storage.

I like that the shelves can be re-arranged, and we can also change the items on the shelf if we want a change of color or theme. The backs of the boxes can be unscrewed and detached if I want to change the actual shelf color. In fact, they used to be teal (and a little dirty and worn from being in 4 different apartments) so I just updated them with a fresh coat of blue!

Here they are full of STUFF!


A NEW addition to the NEW house is a really cool print from Henri Silberman. My dad made a frame for it and matted it with the brightest blue! I love it.


My Grandmother sent me some beautiful blue silk fabric:


I am so excited to use it in the house... I think I am going to recover some chairs. We'll see!