For dinner that night, Cynthia and I made packet meals with black-eyed peas, asparagus, onions, mushrooms with the choice or fish or chicken. All garnished with lots of butter, a little lemon, garlic, and some choice seasonings. Greg whipped up a very fresh tomato salad to accompany the parchment dinners. For dessert we had a key-lime pie from Picnics.
I got lots of work done on the painting that I'm working on and started a polymer clay project. I have a vision that I'm going to embed bits and pieces and do photo-transfers and colored-resin painting. We'll see how that turns out.
Today was so beautiful. No humidity and slightly chilly. It was a perfect early autumn day. Hopefully tomorrow I can instigate a trip to the botanical gardens to run around and enjoy the weather more fully.
Left: This is another cheese spread that we whipped up for our honored guests, Anne Choi and Lynn. Lots of different kinds of pears, grapes, membrillo, salami (without peppercorns), smoked gouda, goat gouda, white cheddar, manchego, jarlsberg, and some gruyere.
Right: Azalea getting into the grapes. I got that shirt for her a really long time ago from a cute children's' boutique in New York called Lucky Wang. It was so hard to imagine that one day it would fit her. Nowadays it fits a little snugly. She's growing up so fast. (I just noticed that Azalea's shirt is the same color as the salami.)
Left: For dinner we had hamburgers. I caramelized a bunch of onions, sauteed some baby portobello mushrooms, and mixed up my secret burger recipe. Greg fired up the grill and we topped them off with a nice provolone cheese and sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes. We served them with some Terra Chips and bread and butter pickles.
For dessert (not shown) I whipped up a quick Mexican chocolate mouse, layered with graham crackers, and topped with fresh whipped cream and a bottom layer of chocolate ganache.
It has been a boisterous time here with our friends Anne Choi and Lynn. We love having guests over and entertaining. Especially when it's other creative types who's work you admire. Having Anne Choi and Lynn over with Tony and Lisa from Zoa Art has absolutely made this trip! So much creative energy and merriment.
Anne Choi originally said that I couldn't take any pictures of her unless I didn't want anymore of her beads. Of course, I struggled with pulling out my camera at every opportunity. A couple of times, I had wild fantasies of how I'd take pictures and create a fictitious persona that would buy her beads once I had been cut off. Luckily, she allowed me two pictures - One group shot and one with just the two of us. Here is the group shot:
Above: (Top Row) Greg, Anne Choi, Tony Blackwell. (Bottom Row) Cynthia, "George", Lisa, and me.
As I looked at the group photo of us, I thought about what would happen to this image in a hundred years. Will we be forgotten and marked "unknown", our names erased from history like those captured on the old tintype? Or will Azalea's grandchildren and their generation say, "These were artists dedicated to their craft..."
6 comments:
this is touching ad beautifuly written. and below, more food to torture JEAN!Gah!
Anne Choi: tell her I cherish my one bead from her. I love her beautiful face and soul. She is a groundbreaking artist.
Andrew,
The packet meals you were talking of are making my mouth water. Any way I can snag that recipe from you? It sounds kind of complicated!
If you have time....
Lori
Thanks Jean. I'll let Anne Choi know. She's one of my all-time favorites in the bead business. I consider each of my pieces in my collection to be little works of art.
Hey Lori! It's super easy. Just make sure that your vegetables are all washed and ready to go. You'll need fairly large pieces of parchament. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lay out your asparagus, then top with frozen or canned black-eyed peas (ones that have been already cooked). Drain those off to make sure that it's just the peas. Season the peas slightly with a little bit of salt. Next you'll sprinkle on some sliced onions and sliced mushrooms. Make sure the mushrooms are washed. No one likes to bite into grit. Then, layer on your fish. Season your fish if desired. For chicken, I suggest lightly browning it in a bit of butter first. That way it isn't raw in the middle. Next sprinkle on your seasonings. We used basil, tarragon, and some salt. Next put a thinly sliced piece of lemon on top and some lemon zest and just a bit of garlic. We squeezed a touch of lemon juice on top as well. Next, put three dabs of butter. Proceed to fold up your parachment. Start with the two side edges. Make them meet. Right now, it should look like a hammock almost. Fold over the two edges snugly. Right now it should look like a tube, with the filling inside. Make sure not to move your parachment too much, as you want the contents you arranged to be in their original configuration. Next, roll down the ends. You'll want to make sure that your seals are relatively tightly rolled and folded, so that it creates a nice little pouch. Put it in a baking tray with sides and then into the oven for 20 -25 minutes until the packet is all puffy. It should be slightly discolored and brown. Make sure that the pan is in the center of the oven and that the packet has enough room to have heat evenly cook it. They should be ready to serve!
you are THE awesome!
Thanks, I can't wait to try it.
Post a Comment