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