Tea Pots

I did get some spouts on the teapots and then they get wrapped up to dry until it is time for handles.
With teapots it is a game of cover,uncover,cover,uncover, now, not yet, now, maybe later and then they are ready.

 Since these are the new clay body, sorry Leslie if I could thrown a new body for anyone it would be me, we are finding out how quickly it drys. It seems very plastic, and, yet, not as sticky as the B-mix that we have used in the past. With B-mix the pot could be dry and then it would take forever for the bottom to dry with out still being sticky. This is not sticky, but is acting differently than the stoneware clay we had been using.

So now?
Maybe later.
Yesterday was a sunshine day and I demanded that we take a walk. Yea, I can be pushy like that, just ask my mother she will say yes, she was the 4th of 5 and she was and is so pushy. Well good grief wouldn't you be with 3 older than you  and an adorable younger sister? I had to be a bit pushy.

So walk we did.
The woods have such a different feel to them with the crunch of the leaves and the openness. It always gives me a sense of adventure.

The kiln is cooking away this morning full of all sorts of fillers for the gas kiln. It is amazing how these things can pile up if you just get out and get busy on the wheel.
We should be working on glazing in the next week or so. Of course we will have to load the kiln with the March winds in mind since we had a real taste of those the other day.
March= wind= when to fire.

On another note I  a block of cream cheese that was screaming to be used before it died in the refrigerator. And I am one of those people who does not like to waste what I buy.
So I went to pin your a** to the chair and looked for a recipe to try.
 I found this one.
And, of course I changed it.
 I did not have vanilla wafers in the house, never do, so, I put the last of the granola in the food processor and mushed it with a little butter and placed it in the bottom of the muffin pan. It was good since it had oats, nuts and a little dried fruit it it. I only baked for about 4 minutes. 

• 30 vanilla wafers
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Cooking spray
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt-------I used 1 cup
• 12 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened-------I used 8 ounces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract----I used teaspoon plus one teaspoon of elderberry juice.
  
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 large eggs
•   and I did not do this at all since I don't keep canned milk either. We topped with homemade jam.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar--
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 3/8 teaspoon flake salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°.

2. Place cookies in a food processor; process until finely ground crumbs measure about 1 cup. Add oil; pulse to combine. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin well with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 packed tablespoon crumb mixture into each muffin cup; press crumbs firmly into bottom. Bake at 300° for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool.

3. Wipe food processor clean. Place brown sugar, yogurt, and cream cheese in processor; process until smooth. Add vanilla, table salt, and eggs; process until smooth. Spoon about 3 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup. Bake at 300° for 18 minutes or until centers of cheesecakes barely move when pan is touched. Remove pan from oven; cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Cover pan; refrigerate cheesecakes 3 hours or until well chilled.

4. Run a thin knife around outside edge of each cheesecake. Carefully remove cheesecakes from pan; place on a platter. Chill cheesecakes until ready to serve.

5. Combine granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 3 minutes). Continue cooking 12 minutes or until the color of light brown sugar (do not stir). Remove from heat; carefully stir in butter and milk (caramelized sugar will harden and stick to spoon). Place pan over medium-high heat until caramelized sugar melts. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; cool caramel to room temperature. Cover and chill 1 hour or until slightly thickened. Spoon about 1 tablespoon caramel over each cheesecake. Sprinkle cheesecakes evenly with flake salt.

Do you do this as well are or you a by the book cook?
I find I just use what I have since running to the store is not an option for me.
Time to go put a hand on the tea pots.
Now?
Now?
Cheers,
M

Shallot Salad Dressing

I was asked for a salad dressing my father use to make.
I know he did one in the wooden bowl that I think must have been your classic Cesar Salad dressing; rub the bowl with garlic, add all ingredients in the bowl and then throw in the mixed greens and toss.

 I found  this recipe several years ago and it reminds me of one he use to make.
I know his used fresh shallots because I remember well his search for fresh Shallots.
All you could find back then were some frozen ones. He used them, but grumbled knowing there was something better out there somewhere.
I can't help but think of him anytime I buy the fresh ones.

My father loved good food and would have relished and found humor in the slow food movement, as I do.
He thought and talked about food as far back as I can remember. He loved whole wheat, stout breads, that he would call peasant breads. He called wonder bread, “library paste” and wanted nothing to do with it.
He was fond of good cheese, a good cut of meat, a meal well prepared and loved to cook when he had time.

Some of my favorite memories are eating his Chili with a grapefruit, orange and onion green salad on the side.The hot spicy of the chili set off by the citrus was so good. (My sister Leslie just posted our father's chili go read about it and put in on your list to make) Mark and I shared this meal with my parents every Sunday while I was expecting my first child.
A lazy Sunday evening, Chili, the parents and good conversation.

When we traveled as a family he looked for good Mom and Pop diners and once told me to judge a place by the cars in the parking lot.
He said if there is a Cadillac next to a pick up truck you can bet the food is good.

Now back to the salad dressing:
Using your favorite small pottery bowl mix the following:

1 TBS. Minced shallots
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp. powdered mustard
¼ dries basil
¼ tsp. oregano
½ tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/3 cup Olive oil
3 TBS. vinegar
Place all but the vinegar in a bowl.
Stir well and let sit for about 1 hour.
Stir in vinegar.
You can play with this depending on the herbs you like.
Tarragon instead of basil and oregano…
Add garlic if you like….  or you could use this to dip some of that good bread in.

We are still at this kiln galzing thing...

 An interruption with the storm and all so here is a recipe for you.

If you have never made Granola you should try.
It is so much better than the store bought stuff.
You can make this as sweet or not as you want.
.
Here is the whole recipe - but you can throw in anything you want just remember 6 cups dry to 1 cup wet.
My old tried and true Recipe:
Mix all the dry in a big pottery bowl.
Chop up in a variety of forms:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
1/3 cup almonds
(use any combination of nuts that you like)
add:
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 cups oats

mix all the wet in a big measuring cup
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Add wet to dry with a big spoon and mix well.
Dump onto a cookie sheet- or two if you need the room and bake at 250- for 30 minutes.
Stir after 15- keep a close eye after 25.
add dried fruit of your choice in the last 2 minutes- just to warm it and blend in.
BECAUSE you do not want to burn the dried fruit- trust me.

The Brain

I woke up with a cupcake sitting on the top part of my brain.
I can not tell you where or why but it was a yellow cupcake in the yellow paper like when I was a kid with white icing.
I really could not make it go away.
It was as if I was seeing it out of the corner of my mind's eye.
Why are you here and what do you want?

I told Mark about this and his interpretation of this was biscuits or scones.....
So as I got dressed he pulled out all the ingredients for our favorite Biscones.
The ones I made up a few months back.

Here they are again, you will want to make them tomorrow morning since everyone will have bought all the bread from the store since there is a storm brewing.

Biscones, by Meredith preheat oven to 450
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat
OR
2 cups all purpose
Add:
1/4 cup of oats
1TBS.sugar
1tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp.salt
1TBS. baking powder
1/4 cup currants or raisins -hate them- leave them out
cut in 3/4 stick of cold butter

make a well in the center and add about 1 cup milk- whole or 3/4 of 2% with 1/4 cup of yogurt.
(we love the added yogurt)
The secrets- if it looks to dry add some more milk.
Don't handle the dough too much.
Toss out on the counter and finish folding-in the wet to dry.
Pat down, cut out and bake close together in a pan for 15-18 minutes at 450
Meanwhile, make coffee or tea.
EAT them hot with butter- good lord they are like coming home.
Mark puts no butter on his and will eat these cold later.

My other morning thought is why do we chase hot coffee?
How do we keep it hot?
And, why is coffee made in a coffee pot and tea in a tea pot and if you made your coffee in a teapot would it stay hotter.
Probably not.
So while you are making those biscones heat water, take your coffee cup, handmade please,  and put hot water in it.
Then make your coffee and add to your heated cup.
Oh, yeah- hot coffee, hot out of the oven biscones.
Life is good.

Now- we are off to finish glazing the kiln load of pots and then figure out what day we can fire since we have a storm brewing.
It seems we are always glazing away while the days are calm and then looking for that window of opportunity for firing.
The life of the potter is much as the life of the farmer.
When people ask if I farm I tell them, "No, I found another way to lose money".

Off to the studio- more about those mugs later.

And thank you all for your comments. I do read them and they make me smile.
Yes, Hollis, better me than you on this job.

Cheers!
M

 

You sitck your right foot in

I was talking about that Heron, who did not like to get wet, the other day and the next day there he was out in the water.
I think he is just trying to show me up!
Now that he has called me out I will have to make good on my "sticking my toes in the water."


On Sunday we took off to see the son and his lovely bride over in Cary.
We had some things to deliver to his house and it was time to revisit the house in Raleigh which we are making a tile back splash for.

This morning we met up with sister Lee and her long time partner in business and life Tony.
They run a Faux finishing business in Raleigh called Colorations.
I could go on and on about how good they are, but this is about the back splash
This would be the first time we have seen the house since last January.
Last year we saw the house after the kitchen was torn out and it was a big mess.
I had a hard time seeing how all this would fit together at that time.
This time the kitchen is all together and we are the next on the list.
The kitchen is wonderful!
Lee did up a drawing for the client to stand in while we get started.
I loved it and with a few changes we will or should be ready to start by the end of the month.
This is my big plunge.
I have never done a tile project of this size.

When Lee first asked us to do this I was too overwhelmed with our son getting married, our fire and life in general to even think really clearly about it.

It just seemed too much to add this to my large, or what seemed so large, pile.
This year my head has cleared, our son is married, and our studio rebuilt and even with a grand baby on the way I think I am ready.
I did spend some time working out glazes and doing test last year.


I will keep you posted as this comes together, but all in all it is pretty exciting.

On another note:
Last year my word for the year was focus.
This year it is enjoy.
Do you have a word for the year?

And for Barbara:
Blackeyed Peas:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, or cowpeas
6 to 8 ounces salt pork, diced or bacon
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ham bone or large ham hock
black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
dash Tabasco sauce
Pick over peas; rinse. Cover peas with cold water; bring to a boil, boil 1 minute, remove, and cover pan. Let peas stand for 1 hour.
Sauté salt pork until golden brown; add onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is tender.
Add the salt pork and onion mixture to the peas, along with the ham, ham bone or hock, and seasonings, adding enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently until peas are tender but not mushy, 1 to 2 hours. Remove ham from bone, chop, and return to peas.
Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Cook rice separately.
Mound rice on a platter and surround with peas.

Collards Greens
I like to wash well and cut them away from the think stem and chop.
I steam them until tender and then saute up some onion and garlic.
Throw them in some olive oil and some blasamic vinegar.
Easy and tasty.
M

Thanksgiving already.....

I can tell you that the wind is still whipping out there.
And with that said I don't know how much we will load in the kiln today.
And the days are really counting down.
With only one week away from the show.

Now the thought is get it in and fire Sunday.
The kiln then takes two full days to cool down.
Nice and slow.
Sunday fire, Monday and Tuesday cool down, unload on Wednesday.
Set up is Thursday and Friday Night Gala is, well, Friday.
So our few days lead have turned into us chomping at the bit to get it done.
Nothing like letting the wind out of your sails.
And speaking of wind... yea, I already said, IT IS STILL BLOWING!"

I had to share my Thanksgiving cactus which thinks it is time for some turkey.
I think they are both a little early this year.
Maybe I should have left them outside another 2 weeks.

Little sister here is only about four years old. Plucked off at cart a Lowe's hardware one day. The first year no blooms at all. All the spots that I thought were going to bloom just dropped off.
She was much happier after being put in a Geoff Pickett planter with some room to work on her spreading roots.

I have a Pesto Cheesecake in the oven for the (free) reception tonight at the NCPC.

This is the all time easiest recipe. It sounds so strange, but think savory okay?

Off to be productive!

Cheers!

A little cooking going on

We are loading the kiln- but take a break from the Pottery Blog and go enjoy some of our favorite recipes on our cooking blog.
I love to cook and I love to use fresh ingredients and as local as possible.
enjoy!
http://yearsofcooking.blogspot.com/

Kiln Opening Cookies

I had so many people ask for the recipe of these cookies I promised to post them up.

Sesame Seed Cookies

1 stick of butter, melted
add:
1/2 c. sugar
1 beaten egg
4 or 5 T. sesame seeds
1 t. vanilla
mix in:
2 cups of flour sifted with ½ teaspoon salt and baking powder

Mix together well and form into a brick or log.
Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and
Chill for about an hour, slice into 1/4 inch thick slices
and bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes.

A great not real sweet treat -- a favorite with red wine.

and a repeat on the Peanut butter cookies no flour:
1 cup peanut butter- I like to use all natural chunky-
1 egg
1 cup sugar
Bake 350 for about 15 minutes.

Thank you one and all for coming out and sharing a beautiful day and supporting the local potters in Seagrove.
M

Baking bread, trim and putting up lights

We ran out of trim yesterday- I had to sand and paint more and it needed to dry.

So - make a sponge for bread and talk Mark into "helping" me put up lights in the house.

If you know me you know I am the helper.....

When we went to put the lights up we found the hole in the ceiling was bigger then the cuppy thing which goes over the hole- now it's Sunday afternoon and Lowe's is an hour trip if not more, the hardware is not open and I am thinking- what now. Mark does the old ah- ha and goes and gets one of the many junk Cd's they send in the mail. With some holes cut for the wires we fit this over the hole and place the cuppy thing up against that and - no hole and it looks just fine. What do you do with the ones you get in the mail?

Fits and starts and baking bread

Mark just sent me the funny from above. After 2008 we thought we might get a "get out of jail free" card for 2009. I don't think it works that way.

So far for 2009: I lost my keys and a wallet at Lowe's Hardware- good thing was they were turned into lost and found and everything was there.

I glued a round of tiles and the glue did not hold. We figured I must have let the glue freeze or get too cold sitting out on the porch before Christmas- I was going to post on how I do this, but I will wait until I get new glue. I spent last night pulling off the backs I had glued on and scraping away the glue. The good thing was- the tiles were not hung and did not fall off the walls.

I know there are good things going on - I just have a short fuse for the minor things right now.

You get a bit tense after 6 months of not having your space and thinking when will this be over?

But- it has only been 6 months and yesterday we, Mark, hung shop lights and finished putting in the shelving in the redone mix room. We then hung 3 ceiling fans. I am the helper- I put things together, hand tools and hold things.

Then in the afternoon I baked bread.

I stopped to see Tom Gray the other day and had a great chat with him about baking bread.

Between him and my son they have convinced me to throw out some of my "dated" ideas on bread and give these new ones a go.

Oh, my- I am sold. Tom lent me a copy of his book on Artisan breads which I have been reading along with the Bread Bible. So I set to work on an experiment.

I used water, yeast, salt bread flour and wheat flour to make a "sponge" which I set out to rise in a plastic container for about 3 hours. And rise it did- all the way to the top. I folded it down and put it into the refrigerator for the night. The next morning I pulled out a chunk of sticky dough and shaped it into a ball, covered and gave it two hours to rise.

I had preheated the oven to 450 degrees with a pan on the lowest rack.

Well, I knew I needed to water bath so I put water on to boil.

I must have put about 5 cups of water in the pan- because I did not go back and reread the amount to use.

Put the bread in , which I had in a shallow pan.

There was steam pouring out of the oven, which worried Mark. I thought- maybe I had better check the amount- Oh, 1cup water.....

The bread came out with a beautiful golden top, but a tad under done on the bottom.

Note: use different pan.

BUT- the taste was absolutely wonderful.

Moist and Chewy- we sliced it after it cooled and ate 1/2 on the spot.

Yesterday's bread was baked on the bottom of my cast iron skillet with less water.

I use a muffin tin filled with water.

It did not get the same chewy golden top but the inside or "crumb" was again moist and chewy.

Mark, who has been with me since the earth cooled and has eaten a lot of home baked bread in our time together, was ecstatic over the bread. He eats bread several times a day. I have been trying not to eat bread too often. It loves to cling to my thighs. But- yesterday after cutting the bread I thought- what can I give up to eat this bread? Salad maybe?

We had bread and brie for lunch it was tasty!

Time to start another batch.

Thanks Tom- I'll get your book back to you.

Count down to Christmas.......

The kids as they humor their mother and let her take a picture.

A girl and her Dad--------- what can I say? That's his girl!

November 30th....... that leaves just a tad over 3 weeks for you to go out and get your shopping done!

Me- I have just begun. It is what happens when you are retail!

So - go out and support a local artist!

Give someone something to enhance their lives.

Something to eat out of, drink out of, serve off of or just to make them smile.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving- but hold on to your hats-

Here comes Christmas!

Are you tired of turkey?

Thanksgiving

Our son and his future bride are here. So far Joel has smoked a turkey and Katie has made a pie, jello salad and homemade noodles for today.
If I play my cards right all I have to do is set the table......
And maybe some green beans and some potatoes- a bit of bread.
We will miss our daughter Anna and her boyfriend- but Anna is coming Friday for the weekend.
Should we save you a leg?
I hope you are all happy and well.

Let them eat cake!

It's been three months since the fire. In fact the date of October 9Th came and went and I had to remind myself it had been three months. The past month,once the building went down and hauled away and the reconstruction started, things have improved daily.
Last week we glazed, fired and unloaded the kiln- a strange firing- lots of refires, but you can't have everything.


I am packing pots for a show which we do next week-end.
Meanwhile Mark is trying to throw- I am going to fire tiles and some trays in the electric kiln and we are both working in the 12x16 room.


Hummm a testimony to the marriage - maybe.
I think we both want our spaces back so bad it is hard to leave. Hour by hour things get better.
Yesterday they put up ceiling. Today walls- then it will be paint. See it is getting there.



So anyway- the cake.


I posted this cake on my cooking blog and Tom Gray picked it up and made it. So did other folks as it has made its way around the web.


Mark was green! He loves Pineapple upside down cake and this is his grandmother's recipe. I promised one to him and here it is- baked in a glass pan.


I am going to season up my cast iron because the one Tom made looked the best to date! Hands down.
So- the cake was delicious and Mark moaned over the last piece last night.
We did share with friends we had dinner with. Not that Mark could not do a bigger share himself-.
So- cake- pots building- it is all coming along.

Mushrooms Berkley:

1 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half
2 medium peppers, red and yellow or orange, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs. butter and some olive oil in a non-stick pan
Sauce:
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs. brown sugar
3/4 cup mellow red wine
salt & pepper
Sauté Onion, add mushrooms and peppers.
Mix sauce in small bowl wisking well.
add as mushrooms begin to cook down.
Simmer45 min.
This is one of Mark's favorite recipes and one I have made for most of our married life.
It is full of good memories and we have served it alone or with beef or chicken.
If you are a mushroom fan like we are- this is the best!
Can be doubled- is good leftover-

Ada Darling's Skillet Pineapple Upside down Cake

This was giving to me by my husband's grandmother.
It does not get any better than this.
Use real butter! Go for it.
The cake batter made with good local organic eggs turns a beautiful yellow color.

I also use this cake batter when I do berry shortcakes. Just bake alone in a 8X8 pan for about 20-25 minutes. It is better than any store bought cake you will every buy and very easy!


Ada Darling's Skillet Pineapple Upside down Cake

1/2 butter
1 cup brown
1 can of pineapple rings, drained

Batter:
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pineapple


1 tsp. vanilla

Melt margarine in cast iron skillet or glass pan, add brown sugar melt.


Place pineapple rings over melted butter and sugar.
Pour cake batter over the pineapple mixture.


Bake 30 to 40 min in a 375* oven.


Turn over on to platter to serve


It is tricky to turn this over as it should be done while still hot or not complete cooled.


Be careful it is hot!


Invert plate or I place foil over cake and use a pizza sheet or cookie sheet over top and turn over.


Enjoy!