The Artful Life Continues - Sept 24, 2010

Another Great Day in the Artful World:  The Food, Farm & Foliage Exhibit is taking shape.  All  entries are in and they were juried today by a great artist with a great eye for composition and technique.  It was interesting to hear her comments and perspective on the exhibit in general. The personal comments relating to traveling the Delmarva Peninsula through the works of our artists is what is great about an exhibit with a theme relating to our place on earth.  I am most grateful to her commitment to assist us.

Back to the Studio:  Creating order out of, photographs, magazine references, backing materials, art books, hook eyes, wire and the like can be satisfying and necessary.  I still need to finish 4 paintings started this summer.  Sometimes it is good to go back to a painting after some time has passed to "see" your true work.  There are more art shows to enter and of course more challenges ahead.

Maria's Soap Shop:  Bathing or showering in a great natural olive oil soap is extraordinary.  Just think of the great lather, great scents from the essential oils and just knowing you are nourishing your skin and creating a healthy environment.  Take for instance my Peppermint Orange Olive Oil Soap. The aromatic mint and orange scent combines well together creating a fresh and refresh bar. Finely ground mint and orange peel is added to enhance your very own soap.  Great for males and females alike.  Step inside the Coastal Cottage Soap Shop:

Maria's Handcrafted 

Peppermint Orange Soap

visit her shop at coastalcottagesoaps.com

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Back to the Oven:  A recipe for Buttermilk Sugar Cookies appeared in our local weekly paper.  I then thought of the Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies with the chocolate mint filling.  Maybe I could put the two together creating Maria's Milan Cookies (Milan is a Italy largest industrial town).  So I searched and found a great buttermilk sugar cookies on epIicurisious.com.  I replaced mint chocolate chips for the chips in their icing.  Some cookies I did sandwich, but mostly just put icing on individual cookies.  Comments later from my husband after consuming the first of many was, these taste like the PF Milano Chocolate Mint Cookies!!  



Buttermilk Sugar Cookies

Cookie Ingredients: 

• 
  
  3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk\

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until smooth.

Drop level tablespoons of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks.

Glaze:  1 cup   chocolate mint chips

              1/3 cup cream or half and half

Melt mint chips n a  heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Remove from heat; whisk in cream in a low stream.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Spread glaze on the underside of half the cookies.  Sandwich with remaining cookies.  Or you can spread on the top of single cookies and not sandwich.

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My best to you all,

Maria L B

An Artful Weekend, Sept 17 & 18, 2010

Lovely Lavender Olive Oil Soap

Maria's Most Popular Handcrafted Soap

This aromatic soap will take you to your own lavender field.  The stress relieving qualities of this lavender soap in addition to the great sudsy lather will make you a repeat customer

http://coastalcottagesoaps.com/AromatherapySoaps.aspx

Artists Submit Entries:  Saturday, a day artists are submitting entries for the Food, Farm & Foliage Exhibit sponsored by the Holly Branch of the American Pen Women (of which I am Pres).  Waiting for the entries at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and talking with fellow artist members is always special.  Subject matter like our latest framing nightmare, and will our paintings dry in time is the buzz.  The essence of being with other artists and discussing where we create and how we create is good for the creative soul.  Meeting the artists submitting their entries does make all the work of coordinating an exhibit worthwhile.  Answering questions about pricing their and framing their pieces along with boosting the self-confidence of the new artist is a very worthwhile part of supporting creativity. And when an artist thanks you for organizing such an exhibit that the public can enter.   I am amazingly humble.  Thanks to them for wanting to be a part of this creative world.   

Time to Finish:  It is another great day of sunshine and as I was inside the museum's South Gallery most of the day.   To soak up the sunshine I carted all my paints, tabletop easel and supplies upstair to the porch.  Wow, natural sunlight to paint by.  How good is that?  So I worked and  worked to almost finish the painting, "Vegetables on a Windowsill".  It is looking pretty good. Stay tuned!

The Framing, Part 1:  I usually frame my paintings and matted prints with gold finished gallery frames which is sort of a trade mark.  2 weeks ago while walking Winston, I noticed a wonderful large barnboard frame appeared by a neighbor's home for trash pick up.  I went back and carried it home to add to my frame collection.  I new my husband, the magnificent wordworker, could use it to make a frame or two.  Last week I asked nicely  if he could infact cut it down and make a frame for one of the paintings I have been working on with a deadline he could handle.  Stay tuned!

Tomorrow's Dessert:  My husband has asked his daughter over for Sunday dinner and a movie.  (Maybe they will watch Julia & Julie.)  My chef is preparing:  BrocaelI with all natural ingredients.  I volunteered to handle dessert.  Searching through my many recipes as well as on-line I though a light carrot cake would work.  Light because I have been indulging in too much yummy food lately.   The recipe calls for carrot juice in addition to grated carrots.  A great purpose for the my juicer appliance used only twice in 5 years  Here is the Weight Watchers recipe and image of my creation of Weight Watchers Carrot Cake with a Lemon  Glaze:

http://signup.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=218901

Maria's Creation of

Weight Watchers Carrot Cake with a Lemon Glaze

16 servings, 3 points each