Your feathery fronds
flutter so fluidly,
delicately dancing,
preciously protecting.
You are the graceful
guardians of the garden.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Happy Flower
sunny-sunflower-watercolor-11×14-artistico-ex-wh-300lb-soft
“As an artist, I’d choose the thing that’s beautiful more than the one that’s true.”
–Laurie Anderson, Composer, Singer, and Performance Artist
Sunflowers are happy flowers – aren’t they?
They are sunny and bright and cheerful.
I painted this version of a sunflower – that may not really look like a sunflower to you – but I fell in love with. And I rarely say that about my own art, so it is super exciting for me.
It is 11×14 and painted on the most glorious Fabriano Artistico 300lb “Soft” paper that is so cottony soft and buttery, I love to just feel it!
When I came upon this quote by Laurie Anderson, it so resonated with my feelings about art. I would choose beautiful over true too.
I choose to paint what I love and feel is beautiful over an exact likeness. I can take a photo if I want an exact likeness. (And I do so admire artists who can create exact likeness with paint and brushes – don’t get me wrong – it’s just not where I find my joy – at least right now.) But to create a feeling of beauty, that is what I choose to love about painting.
Happy Day!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Cinnamon Pie Crust Leaves
I consider myself a pretty good pie baker.
But we all have “those days” – eh?
This past Sunday, I decided to bake a cherry pie. It’s been quite a while since I got my hands on tart red cherries, so when I found some in the frozen food section at our local supermarket recently, I swooped them up with all good intentions of baking a surprise cherry pie for my guys. Sunday, especially with Fall approaching, is always a good time to have dessert as a special treat.
The simple recipe I found online in a quick search called for using cornstarch as the “thickener.” I typically use flour, but found a box of cornstarch in the back of my spice cabinet and decided to follow the recipe and use it.
I prepared the pie and baked it (10 minutes longer than the recipe called for because the filling was not bubbling out of the slits on top yet – and Grandma always told me a pie is never done until it bubbles over). I decided it had to be done, so removed it from the oven, cooled it, and looked forward to serving it to my guys who had been working hard chopping and splitting and stacking wood in preparation for Fall and winter fires.
Well – the pie filling just didn’t thicken. My guys ate their whole slices like champs, even though they were more like cherry soup topped with crust and vanilla ice cream.
I had a major cherry pie FLOP!
I’m glad I also followed Grandma’s guidance and made cinnamon pie crust treats with the leftover dough that wasn’t needed on the pie. Grandma typically just cut the leftover dough into strips, brushed with milk, sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, and baked until brown. I had fun cutting mine out into maple and oak leaves with cookie cutters to make them a little fancier.
The cinnamon pie crust leaves didn’t make it to the next day. Glad something turned out right!
Does cornstarch go bad? Does it loose its “thickening” ability? I must admit it wasn’t sealed very airtight, and what I used was at the very end of the box. Or did I just not bake the pie long enough? I actually put it back in the oven for 15 more minutes after serving the two pieces to my guys wondering if it might thicken up. No luck.
I guess we all have “those days” right?!
Cherry Hugs,
Jodi
The Song of the Stream
If it weren’t for
the rocks in its bed,
the stream
would have no song.
Listen for the sweet songs
amidst the rocky stream
that is this journey of life,
and keep singing.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Watercolor Landscaping
monochromatic-fall-landscape-raw-and-burnt-sienna-quin-gold-10×12-300lb-fabriano-artistico
I have really grown to have great respect for landscape, seascape, naturescape, and plein air watercolor artists! I find these scenes very challenging, but often get the itch to try.
Most attempts have been less than stellar, but I keep trying.
One of my favorite watercolor artist bloggers, Debi Riley, recently shared a simple monochromatic landscape that was so striking in a blog post she called, “Start Easy (and don’t poke the bear). I had to give it a try.
I mainly used Raw Sienna in various tones using the simple design Debi created. I couldn’t resist adding a bit of Burnt Sienna and Quinacridone Gold and having it resemble Autumn (with some falling leaves made from my unavoidable “Jodi splatters,” but this was a great step in building landscape confidence.
Doing this one gave me the confidence to give landscape another try.
This time I followed the style and tutelage of Terry Harrison, an amazing watercolor artist from the UK I recently discovered through the ArtistNetwork.tv site.
Country Lane Late Summer Landscape Watercolor 11×14 Artistico
I had fun painting the rolling hills and trying a different way with trees using more of a stippling effect. I really didn’t have the right brush and subbed a scrubber instead – not quite the effect I wanted, but confidence-building nonetheless. I am fascinated with what a difference adding shadows makes too.
I may not be a pro at this yet, but I am up for the challenge, and I am going to keep on landscaping! Watercolor that is. I’ll leave the tree pruning, mulching, and grass-cutting to hubby. As long as I provide a cold iced tea every once in a while, there are cookies in the freezer, and I bake a pie now and then, I think I can get away with it…
Happy Landscaping – whichever kind you prefer!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Garlic & Rosemary
There aren’t many meals potatoes don’t go wonderfully with in my opinion. I do love potatoes no matter what way they are prepared.
One of my favorite ways to make them is to roast them. Add some garlic, fresh rosemary, a dash of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil, and I’m pretty much in heaven.
And Yukon Golds have become one of my favorite varieties to roast. They crisp up beautifully on the outside and remain tender and flavorful on the inside.
This recipe is simple, but so delicious and complimentary to most any meal. They go great with chicken, beef, pork, and even eggs (and are great reheated for breakfast “home fries”). Sprinkle some cheese on top if you like – parmesan, cheddar, swiss, or muenster. Dunk them in ketchup or barbecue or hot sauce. Dip them in ranch dressing or honey mustard. Or just enjoy them plain.
Here is how I make them. Hope you will give them a try.
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Garlic & Rosemary
Ingredients:
- 6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash and cut potatoes (leaving skin on) into bite-sized chunks.
Spread potatoes evenly in single layer onto a baking stone with sides (stoneware bar pan) or aluminum jelly roll sized pan. Drizzle with half of the olive oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic, minced rosemary, and salt. Drizzle remaining olive oil over top.
Roast for 20-30 minutes until golden brown – tossing with a spatula halfway through cooking time. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
9-11
9-11-2001
Remembering
Recognizing
Grieving
Honoring
Recovering
Surviving
Strengthening
Overcoming
Thriving
9-11-2016
We will never forget.
We will never be defeated.
We pray for peace.
Foreseeable Fall Frolicking
Chrysanthemums in shades of orange and yellow.
Snuggly flannel shirts and cozy hooded sweatshirts.
Snapping and crackling of well-dried wood in the fireplace.
Sipping warm cinnamon apple cider spiked with bourbon.
Spongey pumpkin bread slathered with honey butter.
Crisp, tart apples with slivers of sharp cheddar cheese.
Brightly colored leaves swirling in the breeze.
Gingerbread and gingersnaps and ginger beer in Moscow mules.
High school and College and National and Fantasy football.
Soft socks, comfy crocs, and fuzzy slippers.
Roasted steaming cubes of butternut and acorn squash.
Popcorn munching during binge watching movie marathons.
Fleece blankets, tight hugs, and doggie snuggles.
Foreseeable Fall Frolicking.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Jodi’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
If you stopped by our house, and there weren’t any cookies (in the freezer)… well….
it just wouldn’t be our house.
Nothing fancy really. Usually just some sort of chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin, but always some cookies in the house.
This week, I baked some peanut butter cup cookies. One batch with Reese’s White Mini Cups and the other with traditional milk chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis. You could combine the two in one cookie if you like, but I think people typically take pretty firm stances on liking white or milk chocolate, so I kept them separate.
I’ll be taking these to our book club party this weekend, but if you stop by, there will be some I’d be happy to offer you.
I share my cookies with Mike the UPS man, Cliff the mailman, and Adam the bug spray guy. Most of our friends and family who stop by know to just check the freezer drawer to see what this week’s treat is and help themselves. I love that! When you are comfortable enough in my house to help yourself to whatever is in the fridge or freezer, I am in my happy place.
Here is my recipe if you are looking for a delightful treat that is sure to please. You can substitute the peanut butter cups with chocolate chips or any other type of chopped candy you love.
Jodi's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (16 oz) miniature Reese’s Milk Chocolate or White Chocolate Peanut Butter cups, coarsely chopped
Directions:
In the bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars, vanilla and eggs, and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add salt and baking soda. Then gradually add in flour, one cup at a time, and mix just until incorporated. Stir in coarsely chopped peanut butter cups.
Chill dough in refrigerator for several hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Form dough into golf ball sized balls and place on baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake approximately 10 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Allow to cool on baking stone/cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack, and cool completely.
Enjoy, and Happy Friday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Got my head in the clouds
September Morning Clouds, Mars, PA
azure blue sky
on a bright sunny summer day
is divine…
puffy,
cottony,
drifting clouds
truly clamour for my attention.
Without them,
the sky it quite plain,
flat,
usual,
and really rather ordinary.
But when the clouds decorate the sky,
the world is fancy,
it’s round and full and fluffy,
it’s different and unique and unusual
it’s EXTRAordinary.
So go ahead,
get your head up in the clouds.
It’s not a bad place to be
after all.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 