studies

i have an idea for a larger painting.  these are studies for it

all are blue ball point in my sketchbook

pumpkin spice muffins

so. i accidentally bought this:

when i meant to buy this:

i like to use this like pumpkin butter on my bagels, pancakes, oatmeal, icecream. basically anything.
but the libby's brand is a lot thinner and just less tasty raw than the farmers market brand.  and a huuuuge container. my bad 

so i had to figure out something to do with it!

so i saw on some blog or cookbook somewhere (i tried to find source, i can't) a "recipe" that was just 1 can of pumpkin and 1 box of cake mix. 

easy peasy

i used 2 cups of the pumpkin  

the muffins ended up a little doughy so next time i think i will only use 1 1/2 cups (which is how much liquid ingredients are used in the cake mix... but i also tried to compensate for the eggs, hence doughy- definitely unnecessary)

i still have some pie mix left over so i've been adding it to oatmeal and pancakes.  can't bring myself to throw it away.  just no josey wasey on it being eaten raw

i made 12 normal sized muffins and 12 mini muffins
cfer isn't a fan (doughy) but i like.  
good with cream cheese

i can has oatmeal?

batman with blue ball point

new sketchbook.  cheap-o that i got from tyler school a while back, so i don't feel so precious about it.  those are old pants of chris's i sewed to it.

i did some pages


journaling is hard for me these days, so i gave that a go again





i also did a few newspaper/magazine black out poems/collages but they did not photograph well.

i love drawing cfer

last week's mac and cheese!!

i broke this in to a multi-parter because i plan to eventually organize this blog and have pages for foods, drawings, diy's...etc

mAc AnD cHeEsE!!!

this was too simple and must happen again and often

this is my new 

sorta-gotta-plan-ahead-but-i-SO-don't-feel-like-cooking-tonight-and-gotta-keep-cfer-happy...

meal

the ingredients

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups skim/low fat milk

1 15oz can evaporated skim milk (i could only find 12oz cans of not specific skim/whole milk, and it worked out just fine, i just used a splash more regular milk)

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 tsp salt (who measures that???)

large pinch freshly ground black pepper (ditto)

1 1/2 cups shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese (i used about 2 cups....)

8 oz elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)(i used rotini and they came out tender and delicious.)

2 tbsp freshly grated or shredded parmesan (i didn't have any around)

p.s. coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray

 the uncooked mix doesn't even fill my cooker half-way

basically, stir it all up in the pot (mix the wet stuff up first) and cook on low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.  i found i was done in the 3 hour range and i started to get crunchy crust sides, which was tasty - but could easily turn to burnednottasty --- i was using my big slow cooker.  this could have definitely fit it all in my small one and then the time probably would have been more accurate. 

it didn't come out stringy gooey cheese that can be sooo good, but it was very creamy and felt more like real food, not a way to get away with eating what you know is basically cheese soup. i think its the kinda-baked aspect?  

tons.of.leftovers. 

and, unlike boxed mac and cheese, which is totally gross reheated... this is still super delicious! i forgot to take a "done" picture so this is actually a re-heated bowl of delight.  i think i will add some kind of vegetable - broccoli maybe - and old bay next time. i'll also be playing with the cheeses, maybe sprinkle feta on top, with some spinach.  and tomato! mmmm. favorites! mac and cheese is so versatile! 

how do you mix up your mac?

perfect for communal mac and cheese!

last week's chili

my mac book charger died last week-hence the delay.  

any who's 

last week i slow cooked. twice! but i kind of forgot what i was doing with this blog and didn't take many pictures. but hey, learning. i cooked again today and was a much better photoblogger and that will be posted as soon as it is done roasting (and it smells so good!)

Both of these recipes came out of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook  to be clear - not your mother's.  i am a sautee-er by nature and the slow cooker - while i've had it for forever and always wanted to use it - is new to me. i  followed these recipes as written as my first try with them, but both could use some edits in my opinion.

Lucky Chili (i heard somewhere beans are a New Years luck tradition or something? can anyone verify this?)

the only picture i remembered to take

2 cups freshly brewed coffee

2 cups vegetable broth

2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes, with their juice

1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cups firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

2 tbsp chili power, or more to taste

1 tbsp ground cumin

3 or 4 cloves, to your taste (now i only had ground cloves so i don't know if this is where i messed up)

salt to taste 

(1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro was also suggested to throw in at the very end - but i'm not a fan of cilantro and this might also be where i failed) 

put it all in crock, cook on low for 8 - 12 hours, stirring occasionally if possible.

for serving:

sour cream

cheese

avocado

rice/orzo 

now this ended up very soupy - way too liquid-y for my taste by far.  and still... something is off about the spices.  not spicy HOT at all, and earthy.  not bad, but just... not right.  something either doesn't belong - or it needs a lot more of something.  i'm not familiar enough with spices to make an educated decision.  was it the coffee? the cloves? more chili powder? skip the sugar? idk. definitely cut back on the liquids for realsies.  maybe 1 cup coffee. 1 can of the tomatoes with juice. no broth. 

the next day i added 1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey to about 3/4 of the chili.  it helped with the heartiness (that was when this picture was taken i think) but it was still more like a really good sauce over orzo.  not how i like my chili. 
maybe it would be a good taco filler?

how do you make chili?

strawberry ice cream with peanut butter and blueberries.
consumed in the heat of frustration. :)

Inaugural: marking the beginning of a new venture, series, etc.

my objective is simple: fortify my art bone by completing at least one creative thought a week.  this can be a drawing, painting, craft, piece of writing, new recipe - even an inspired outfit - whatever moves me.  more frequently is awesome, but i will not put that pressure on myself at this point. 

              * i'm not confining the acts - that is how my imagination atrophied in the first place.*

                                                  (i will probably need reminding of this at times)

i feel a deep need to start exercising my soul and it has been suggested to me that having a place to publish new work will keep me accountable to my goal. 

everything here will be brand new. image heavy. about the acts - not a diary 

(though i'm sure a bit of that will inevitably slip in)

i'll happily accept project suggestions - i like to have problems to solve, and eventually i hope to gain enough confidence in my work to start an etsy shop.

the day this become anything but enjoyable growth, i stop. i do not want this to be a chore.  i want this to be a safe place. sans judgement.  to force myself out of my self imposed box and kill the critics in my head. experimentation is the name of the game. 

i'd love it if you followed me/i follow you on pinterest 

a huge part of the motivation to face my fears and start this blog is from the inspiration i have found through pinterest :) 

to get us started here is a self portrait

6in x 8in mixed media