New Ink Pieces

A new series of my ink drawings and collage work is now showing at Port Coffeehouse in Black Rock, CT. Stop in, grab a coffee, and take a look. Here's a sneak peek to wet your palette.

Beasts of England

Violin & Violets

Coffee & Cigarettes

Smoked Duck

Ink, drink, and be merry!

Easy, Breezy Cobbler Galore!

Having dessert after dinner is always such a treat (no pun intended!), but I rarely feel like putting in the effort after cooking a meal, stuffing my face, cleaning dishes, and entering into a food coma. Dessert gets tossed off the menu more often then not.

I recently discovered a simple way of making one of my favorites: cobbler. Use your yummiest seasonal fruit and make a dessert that while WOW guests, family, friends, and most of all YOU!

Preheat oven to 350˚

In a bowl, mix together your choice of fruit with a squeeze of lemon and confectioner sugar. Transfer the coated fruit into a greased casserole dish. Be sure to spread the fruit evenly in dish.

In a separate bowl, prepare a small portion of your favorite pancake mix. Follow directions on the back of the pancake box and make the equivalent of 4 to 6 pancakes.

Evenly distribute pancake mix over fruit in the casserole dish. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with whipped cream (as shown above), with ice cream, or simply on it's own!

Meet Me Under the Chuppah!

This was the first wedding I ever shot. Not only was it such a fun gig, but the ceremony was so sweet- bursting of love and joy. Congratulations to the happy couple and their families!

Rachel & Scott

September 23, 2010

Autumn Wedding Invites

Wedding invites are done, sent, and in mailboxes! Olivia and Michael are getting hitched. Whoohoo! Not only did I love this project because the couple is AWESOME, but it was so much fun to create the invitations using the technique of block printing. It's been a long time since I did a linoleum cut and print. Felt pretty good! Looking forward to using this medium in future work. Congrats to Liv and Michael!

Coming soon...

My dear friends and family, bloggers, artists, and strangers too!

While blogging has been slow this summer, work and fun has not taken a back seat. After wrapping up an art show, a handful of design projects, and fitting in time for play, new ventures are underway! Keep an eye out for fresh, hot out of the oven cooking tips, recipes, artwork, and other tidbits.

Happy summer-ing!

Olivia and Michael

These are the completed Save-the-Date cards for the autumn wedding of Olivia and Michael. The card is a single sheet of 4x6 glossy cardstock, color laser printed, and includes a small fridge magnet of the happy (and wonderfully photogenic!) couple.

Wedding bells seem to grow louder everyday!

Blunsycakes!

Blueberries. Pansy flowers. Pancakes. Welcome to breakfast!

Let me add that these pancakes are not only beautiful, but extremely tasty. However, while pansies are an edible flower, NOT ALL flowers are suitable for culinary purposes. Some flower petals will be the complete and total end of your life, while others will just make you go to bed with a disgruntled belly. But a pansy flower is DELICIOUS! So eat, be merry, and prosper!

Them there fiddleheads, son!

A friend of mine recently introduced me to the searching for and eating of fiddleheads. I was pumped! After all, it's not everyday that you discover brand spankin' new veggies. Unfortunately, our afternoon hike in search for these curly, green friends was unsuccessful, but our bellies were ready. A recent trip to Block Island brought us victory! Who would have thought a little island grocer would be carrying our happy and strange vegetable?

A little pasta, prosciutto and parmesan were the only ingredients needed to accompany the sauteed fiddleheads. The dish resulted in a very delicious and quiet dinner (except for a few grunts and satisfying eye rolls).

I suggest looking for your fiddleheads at local farmer's markets or organic grocery stores. But beware, after you try them you'll find green beans and asparagus BORING!

Limoncello

My mom gave me a cookbook last Christmas, full of wonderful recipes for making very basic foods: crackers, marshmallows, jams, etc. Of course, the one recipe in there that I have been dying to try is Limoncello. Sorry, mom, I go right for the drinks :) After comparing that recipe with others I have researched, I have created my own version. It will be an eight week process and, depending on the final results, I'll post my recipe at the end of it all. Here's the beginning. Check back in two weeks when I add in the simple syrup. Ciao!

Why, Miss Beauregard, you sure will look nice in white.

It's that time again! Church bells are a-ringin'. Here are the completed wedding invitations for my college roommate's summer hitch! They were so fun to design :) Simple, sweet, and playful.

Tastes Like Summer

Ooooooo boy, get ready for a juicy bite of sunshine!

Sometimes the best ingredients you can use are the ones left over in your fridge. Honest! Today I noticed that my strawberries and clementines were absolutely perfect, but needed to be used before too long. The fat leaves from my pot of mint were begging to be cut and added to a dish. And my romaine lettuce was just hanging out reminding me that it's been a while since I had a healthy salad. Here's the quick, easy, and delicious product of these ingredients.

Chop a couple of fresh mint leaves.

Mix together the juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp olive oil, 1-2 Tbs honey, and a pinch of nutmeg.

(These are rough measurements and should be adjusted to taste.)

Chop a combination of strawberries and clementines (about 2 cups all together).

Pour liquid mixture over fruit and gentle stir. Sprinkle with mint.

The dish can be served as is or on a bed of romaine or arugula lettuce (which I highly suggest). After a few bites I added a spoonful of crumbled goat cheese which added an amazing tangy bite to the dish. Delicious!

Harborview Art Show

My show is up! The ink drawing series "Little Minds, Little Stories" has opened at Harborview Market and will be on exhibit for the month of May. Come on by to grab a cup of coffee, grab a buddy, and relax.

Harborview Market

218 Harborview Ave.

Black Rock, Bridgeport, CT

06605

Roast it. Poach it. Eat it. Marry it.

I recently saw this recipe on apartmenttherapy.com and I have been so excited about trying it out myself. Here is the result which was devoured this evening. If it wore pants I'd marry it.

Chop mushrooms, asparagus, onion, and garlic. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a casserole dish and roast in the oven at 475˚ for about 20 minutes. While that is roasting, poach an egg. After veggies are roasted remove from oven, dish on to a plate, and top with the egg.

This dish is highly recommended to be made at the end of a particularly difficult day. Serve it up along side of some trials of the week, grumpy moods, or moments of insecurity. The fluffy egg will remind one of softer, easier times. The roasted vegetables, with their depth of flavor and complexity, will shed light on the true nature of life's highs and lows.

Bon appetit!

Springtime!

Nothing rings in this season like farmer's markets, plants, and yummy food. My recent visit to northern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts got me so excited for all of the upcoming enjoyments of spring.

Blossoming Acres is a bakery, greenhouse, and farm located in Southwick, Massachusetts.

By July, the back field on the property is completely covered with wildflowers. While most of these flowers sell within the season those that are left over are hung inside to dry and sold during the off months.

Locally dried and pickled products.

Support your community's farms and gardens. Buy local! Buy fresh! And, by God, eat well!