Monday, February 27, 2012

Menu Monday (2) Red Lentil & Veg. Soup



This is a OMG good soup.                                                                                 
 It's high in fiber, easy and good for you!!
 It's a meal in a bowl, more of a stewp.


Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup (From Good Housekeeping)                              serves 4
                                                                                                                                 total time 30mins
Ingredients:

 1 Tblsp. Olive oil
4 medium carrots (chopped)
2 stalk celery (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (14 1/ 2oz _ diced tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 oz) veg. broth (or chicken)
1 cup dried red lentils
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 bag baby spinach

Directions
(1) pour yourself a glass of wine (optional)
(2) In 4qt. saucepan, heat oil on medium until hot.  Add carrot, celery and onion, and cook 6 to 8 mins. or until lightly browned and tender.  Stir in cumin: cook 1 minute.

(3) Add tomatoes, broth , lentils, 2 cups water, salt, and pepper: cover and heat to boiling on high.   Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 8 to 10 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Stir in spinach, Makes about 7 1/2 cups.

Ok I must confess, I added the celery on my own. It added more fiber and flavor, so I don't fell bad about my taking this recipe to the edge! I also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I would definitely make this soup again.This was a quick and easy recipe, heart healthy as well as inexpensive.  I served it with a slice of toasted Italian bread.

Eat healthy!

Friday, February 24, 2012

1st FUNKY FRIDAY

It's Friday and time for my first "Funky Friday" post. As you know, I am getting ready for the Schooner Wharf "Art Affair" on March 3rd. It's getting down to the wire, but I got inspired the other day to work on some "altered shoes". I've made some in the past and thought they would be a good addition to my table for the show. Off I went to find some funky shoes to get creative with. I'm posting a photo of what I came up with as well as 2 shoes that I've created in the past. I'll keep you posted as to what I come up with....it could get scary!



Old Shoes

My first altered shoe was created in 2006 as be part of The Great American Shoe In which was held by the Modesto Museum of Art in Modesto, California. My shoe "Spiked Heel" is now part of the museum's permanent collection.




In 2010, "Step Out" was part of the Putting-It-All-Together show held at the Climate/Gallery Long Island City, NY. It was then later sold at the 2011 "Art Affair".

Monday, February 20, 2012

Menu Monday (1) Lou's Lemon & Tomato Pasta

Art is my passion, but not my only passion. I also love to cook. Over the years I've taken many cooking classes and experimented on my own in the kitchen. With this in mind, I thought adding Menu Monday to my blog would be a fun idea. On every Monday, I plan to share a receipe or my menu plan for the up-coming week. So for my first entry: Lou's Lemon and Tomato Pasta. My brother Louie shared this with me a couple of weeks ago and I thought tonight would be a good time to try it. It was a busy day today and I needed to make something quick and easy which this was, along with being very YUMMO! Lou's receipe called for fresh tomates, which I'm sure it would be even better, but using ingredients on hand in the pantry for a quick meal is always appealing to me.



Lou's Lemon and Tomato Pasta
(serves 2)
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1 lemon (zest removed and juice squeezed)
6 leaves of basil chopped
crushed red pepper to taste
salt/pepper to taste
1 tblsp olive oil
Italian Cheese for topping

cook pasta and drain
in pasta pot add olive, heat till hot
add tomates, lemon zest and juice add salt/pepper &
/red pepper to taste, stir to mix
add pasta to mixture, stirring to combine all ingredienta,

Plate garnish with basil and Italian Cheese.
ENJOY!



The Lemon in this receipe brings to mind a YUMMO soup receipe I must share with you.


Moroccan Beef Soup
(serves 6)


Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 ¼ lbs. beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ¾” cubes
2 tsp. salt, divided, plus more to taste
½ tsp. ground black pepper, divided, pus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. grounded ginger
6 cups beef or chicken broth
2 (15oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained
½ cup spaghetti, broken into 1” pieces
1 large lemon, cut into 6 wedges

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, 1 tsp. salt, and
¼ tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until no juices remain and meat is browned, about 10mins.
2. Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil, garlic, carrot, onion, and ½ tsp. salt and cook until vegetables are
softened. 6 to 8 min. Stir in cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, 1
minute. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover,
add simmer until beef is just tender: skim off and discard any foam on surface while cooking, if needed.
3. Add garbanzo beans, spaghetti, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and continue to cook until spaghetti is al
dente, 10 to 15 minutes more.
4. To serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with lemon slice (squeeze
lemon over top before eating).


Freeze for up to 8 weeks.
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 ½ hours


If you try either of these receipes, please let me know what you think.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day

I thought today it would be a good time to share with you my "Love Monsters". I gave them this name because they each have a heart on their chest. It was a fun project I deceided to do for myself, but actually did sell the one with the big blue eyes (Hung Over) to an artist friend of mine. I will let you figure out for yourself where I came up with the name for that piece. Happy Valentine's Day....It's time for a cocktail!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

It was another beautiful morning here in Key West. The yard sales were a little slim, but I did find a few that delivered some treasures. The vintage train case was a real find. I'm altering a few others for the Art Affair coming up at Schooner Wharf on 3/3/12. This 70 something case will be a good addition. What am I going to do with the dolls you ask? You'lllll see. I have a couple of ideas brewing.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Gypsy Palace

Art Happenings!



The Gypsy Palace has been buzzing with activity. I have just completed a piece to submitt to the Sodu Gallery "From A Woman's Hand" show,March 2nd. It is a great venue and so is the chocolate and Champagne reception.
On March 3rd the Schooner Wharf will be hosting their annual "Art Affair". This year will be my 2nd year participating. It brings in a nice crowd, the music is great and the view is wonderful.
I've posted some photo's of last year's events
Hope to see you there!