Month: February 2018

The Misty Morning Fog

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

The Misty Morning Fog.

Arising to the misty morning fog
that beautifully softened what could have been a bleak view
caused me pause and made me think.

It made me think how a bit of fog
might help the way we critically look
at different people and different situations.

Ones we think are clear,
and we think are bitter,
but we really don’t understand.

Maybe a little spritz of magic mist
is what we need
to spray on our hearts

to prevent us from
so harshly judging
the things we believe.

A magic mist
of understanding
to soften our views,

to soothe our souls,
to unlock the love
that lives

in the
misty
morning
fog.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
May your day be filled with peace and love.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Prosciutto Apple Gorgonzola Pizza

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

Prosciutto Apple Gorgonzola Pizza.

We went out to dinner with friends a few weeks ago to an amazing local Italian restaurant  near us (Della Terra) that served a too-die-for 5-course dinner with wine pairings that included appetizers, salad, pizza, pasta, and dessert.

One of the things we all went nuts over was a pizza that had apples, prosciutto and  Gorgonzola cheese.

Well – who am I kidding?!  We loved EVERY single course we had, but this pizza was something I thought I might be able to recreate at home.

And O. M. G!!  This turned out so delicious!

It really went together pretty quickly and easily, and it so satisfied my pizza craving!

We often order in pizza on Friday nights at our house.  Just one of our routine guilty pleasures.

But this pizza is worth going to the trouble of making.

Be flexible with it, and make it with ingredients you love.  Add some spinach.  Switch out the apples for pears.  Throw on a few roasted pine nuts.  Add some rosemary and garlic to the pizza dough.

Have fun and be creative!

Here is the recipe for how I made it.  Hope you’ll give it a try.

Prosciutto Apple Gorgonzola Pizza

  • Servings: 1 large pizza
  • Print

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Tbsp yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm water

Pizza Topping:

  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 8 oz ball fresh Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1 large apple, thinly sliced (I used Gala)
  • 1 large sweet onion, caramelized with 2 Tbsp butter
  • 6 oz. Prosciutto, thinly sliced and fried
  • 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Other:

  • 1-2 Tbsp corn meal

Directions:

Prepare crust by mixing 1 cup flour with yeast, salt, sugar, and water.  Gradually add 2nd cup of flour until a ball is formed.  Knead dough for 2 minutes.  Let rest 10-15 minutes in a bowl covered with dish towel.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and prepare toppings while dough is resting.

Whisk mustard and honey to form sauce, slice Mozzarella and apple, caramelize onions, fry prosciutto, and crumble Gorgonzola.

Sprinkle corn meal on a large round baking stone, press dough on top until thin, using fingers and/or rolling pin.

Spread mustard/honey sauce on dough.  Top with Mozzarella, apple, caramelized onions, prosciutto, and Gorgonzola cheese.

Bake approximately 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and brown.

Remove from oven, and let rest 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Take Flight

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

Take Flight.

Take flight
above
the turquoise sea,

amidst
the pink and golden
sky.

Stretch
your wings
and soar so high,

let
freedom
guide your heart.

Embrace
the feelings
that you get

when you are
creating
art.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Just some words and feelings that came to mind when looking at this 5-minute practice painting I did one day experimenting with techniques.

What did I do?  I dropped in some granulating colors – lunar black and quinacridone gold to a wash of alizarin crimson.  I then splashed in some creamy white gouache to create a soft, but dramatic sunset sky.  I scraped in some flying sea gulls with a couple simple scrapes of a palette knife.  I blended cobalt teal with a dab of prussian blue and splashed in some more creamy white gouache.  I then splashed some drops of water from a mister bottle and dropped in just a couple flakes of sea salt.    I then walked away and waited for the magic to happen…. (the hardest part of all).

 

Red Velvet Oreo Chocolate Truffles (Cookie Balls)

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

Red Velvet Oreo Chocolate Truffles  (or Cookie Balls if we’re being less “fancy!”).

If you are looking for a simple, sweet, but festive little treat to share with friends or neighbors or with those you love, these little Red Velvet Oreo Chocolate Truffles might be just the ticket.

They are so simple to make, but turn out so elegant and delish!

You simply crush red velvet (or your favorite flavor) Oreo cookies in the food processor, mix with a block of cream cheese, and make into balls that you dip into chocolate.

Easy Peasy!

Sprinkles make them even more fun! (always!)

I gave little bags to neighbors with silly notes like “You are a SWEET neighbor” and “We LOVE having you for our neighbors.”  I shared others with friends and family.  They were a big hit!

Here is the recipe:

Red Velvet Oreo Chocolate Truffles (Cookie Balls)

Ingredients:

Directions:

Crush oreo cookies in food processor to fine crumbs.  Add softened cream cheese and combine until “dough” forms.

Roll dough mixture into approximately 30 one-inch balls.  Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate.  I put mine in a tall, microwave-safe cup for one minute, stir, and then microwave for 30 more seconds.

Dip balls into melted chocolate with a fork, allowing excess to drip.  Place on parchment paper.  Decorate with sprinkles if desired.  Allow to set approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Kathy’s Bluebird in Watercolor

/ Jodi / 50 Comments
Kathy's Bluebird in Watercolor - 11x14 140 lb cold press

Kathy’s Bluebird in Watercolor – 11×14 140 lb cold press

Kathy’s Bluebird in Watercolor.

I finally remembered to post a bird painting on the right day for Draw a Bird Day which a gang of friendly, artistic bloggers celebrates of the 8th of every month (when we remember!).

Kathy, who blogs at Backyard Bird Nerd, always supplies us with plenty of great inspiration with her bird photography.  She recently captured a photo of an Eastern Bluebird that caught my eye and inspired this very loose interpretation.  I used her bird as a model, but had fun splashing it up in the loose style I love to do.  I took some artistic license in changing the piece of wood to a twig, adding the tail feathers that were hidden in her photo, making it a bit more of a summery, green scene instead of winter, and having some fun with color.  Awww – the beauty and freedom of art!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

This bluebird painting is dedicated to the memory of my brother, Johnny, whose birthday would have been today.  RIP John P. Towle – February 8, 1964 – December 27, 2016.  You remain in my heart always.

This painting (original, prints, and cards) is available at McKinneyX2Designs as well as Berry Vine Gifts.

Daniel Smith watercolors used:  Cerulean Blue, Indigo, New Gamboge, Cadmium Orange, Olive Green, Perylene Green, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Umber.

Finger-Lickin’ Baby Back Ribs

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

Finger-Lickin’ Baby Back Ribs.

Any rib lovers out there?

We decided on ribs for our Super Bowl Sunday meal this past Sunday.  They are great football feasting food!

Hubby learned a great way to make them.

The secret to making them tender and fall-off-the-bone wonderful is in boiling them first in Coca-Cola.

After boiling them for a couple hours, you drain them, put them in a container, drench with your favorite barbecue sauce, cover tightly, and marinade overnight.

When you are ready to eat them, you simply throw them on the grill, or in our case, Hubby likes to throw them in our Pit Barrel Cooker and smoke them a bit.  In a half hour, you have the most amazing tender, fall-off-the bone, juicy pork ribs you’ve ever eaten.

I like to add a little more sauce on when I eat mine.  (I’m a little saucier than Hubby!)

I know many folks have their own way of making ribs with varying techniques – dry rubs, wet sauces, marinades, etc., but I have not found a way I like better than this simple full-proof recipe.

Hope you’ll give it a try and let me know.

Finger-Lickin' Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cut ribs into 4 pieces.  Put in large pot.  Pour Coca-Cola over ribs until they are completely covered.  Put lid on pot, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer about an hour or so until they are fully cooked.

Remove ribs from pot, and discard Coca-Cola.  Place ribs in airtight container.  Cover with barbecue sauce and lid.  Marinade overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.

A half hour before ready to serve, place on grill or in Pit Barrel Cooker and grill/heat through.

Serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired. 

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Tale of Two Fish

/ Jodi / 60 Comments

Hogfish Watercolor 16×20 #1

A Tale of Two Fish.

A friend recently asked me
to paint a fish for her fiance.

A Hogfish it was.
Lachnolaimus Maximus.

A fish caught
on a recent vacation.

She wanted it big…
Big by my painting standards.

The biggest I’ve painted to date is 11×14.
My friend wanted this hogfish painting to be about 16×20.

So I gave it
a whirl.

My first painting is above.
I never dreamed I would share it…

It was
a first attempt…

A lesson in what I wanted to do,
and what I didn’t want to do.

Here’s the actual Hogfish caught

So I tried
again.

I painted it less realistically.
More impressionistically.

A little more subtle.
A little more artistic license….

Impressionistic Hogfish 14×22 #2

I liked my second go
better….

but I still
wasn’t sure

about this large
Hogfish painting.

I showed Hubby my second painting
to get his thoughts.

He liked it.

Then I showed him my first go –
laughing a bit.

I explained
this was how I started.

His mouth dropped open.
He loved it….

What???

The point I was trying to make
was look how much better it got…

He insisted I share both with my friend,
and let her pick.

So I did.

My faithful friend
agreed with me.

She liked the second one better.
A bit more subdued.

But she decided to let
her fiance choose.

So she showed
him both.

And he chose…
the first.

Just like
Hubby.

So…
they are getting them both!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Raspberry-filled Vanilla Cupcakes

/ Jodi / 65 Comments

Raspberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes.

If you are looking for a super special, absolutely rock-your-world delicious treat to bake for your special Valentine(s), look no further thank these amazing Raspberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes!

I have always admired beautiful cupcakes and love those special gourmet ones that have surprise fillings and are extravagantly decorated, but I have never had much success making them.

I had the urge to give it another try yesterday after purchasing some fun sprinkles I was dying to use somehow.

Disclaimer – I have a weird “thing” for sprinkles and buy way more than I ever use!  I bought three different kinds of red/pink Valentiney ones and one big container of regular ones.  My granddaughter had fun shaking them in the cart while we were shopping!

I found a recipe at RockRecipes.com that I tweaked up a bit.  I was so excited with how beautiful and YUMMY they turned out.

When I handed one to Hubby to taste test, I said,  “Are you ready to have your world rocked by this?”

He loved it!

Here is how I made them.  Hope you give them a try.

Raspberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Raspberry Filling:

  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 1 oz. water

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) cream cheese
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 Tbsp milk

Directions:

To make cupcakes, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated.  Stir in vanilla.  Add baking powder and salt, then fold in flour.  Finally stir in milk to create batter.

Pour into paper-lined cupcake/muffin pan.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare raspberry filling by stirring 1 cup raspberries and 1/4 cup sugar in small saucepan.  Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in water, and slowly pour into boiling berries.  Stir constantly until thickened.  Allow to cool.

Prepare frosting by blending together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and enough milk to make a smooth, creamy consistency.

When cupcakes are cooled, use an apple corer to remove a small section from center of cupcake.  Fill with raspberry filling.

Decorate with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles and fresh raspberries if desired.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Dance with Your Heart

/ Jodi / 72 Comments

Dance with Your Heart Pink Ballerina 11×14 140lb Cold Press

Dance with your Heart.
Your feet will follow.

There is something so fun about painting ballerinas.

I came across this idea and painting demonstration by Julie Hyde that uses cling wrap to create an ethereal effect of movement to the ballerina’s skirt.

Using a wet on wet technique, you apply crinkled cling wrap to the wet paint.  After allowing it to dry thoroughly, when you lift the cling wrap, a beautiful texture is created.

I also bought a book by an artist I recently discovered  – Ann Blockley, called Experimental Landscapes in Watercolor.  She also uses cling wrap and salt and ink and other various techniques to create dramatic expressive and interpretive landscapes.  I’m looking forward to trying out some new ideas from that.

In the meantime, I hope you will dance….

with your heart, with paint, while baking, while working….

whatever it is you are doing.

And Cherish the Moments.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Friday and Saturday

/ Jodi / 61 Comments

Image result for friday and saturday

Hi Friends,

I have been blogging daily here at TheCreativeLifeinBetween.com since May 18, 2014.

A post every day for close to four years – sharing and “cherishing the moments.”

Posts with photography, poetry, stories, musings, recipes, watercolors, arts and crafts – all the “stuff” I love to do “in between.”

I feel so honored to have 4,000+ people following along here with me, and I greatly appreciate those who take the time to write notes and comments that encourage me so immensely.

It is becoming a bit of a challenge to blog every day, so I am going to allow myself a bit of a break and take Fridays and Saturdays off from posting.   I will continue on Sundays through Thursdays.

I hope this will keep my content fresh and my passion engaged.

So Happy Friday!
Cherish the Moments….
Know I’ll be cherishing mine immensely with my granddaughter, and I’ll be back Sunday!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi