Some Food Explorations - January 2016 CK 1/16/16, Cheddar Cheese English Muffin Crostini and Mini Blueberry Stovetop Cake
Topic: Recipes

Some Food Explorations - January 2016  CK 1/16/16

 

 

Cheddar Cheese English Muffin Crostini and  Mini Blueberry Stovetop Cake

 

Almost every morning I have bread and cheese for breakfast. Usually it is english muffin toasted on the stove top in my cast iron fry pan. Toast the inside, then turn over and lay cheddar cheese on top to melt while the other sides toast. I usually call this open face grill cheese. But it should be toasted, not grilled with fat in the pan. There is plenty of fat in the cheese already…good also with dollops of salsa, or sliced tomatoes, or sliced avocado.

Recently I have been cutting this into 4 wedges/quarters before  eating. Something special about wedge/pie shapes.

It took me all this time to think of cutting into lots of little pie slices. Six slices became eight, became ten (per side).

And now we have here a Sun. I think these are also called crostini - not sure tho. So, what are Tostini?

I wanted something else to round out this story. So here also is a mini blueberry cake experiment/invention. It was going to be more of a shortbread cookie with a fresh blueberry topping. But the butter/sugar/flour ratio did not look like it would make a cookie. Quick, add some baking powder, (before putting liquid to the dry mixture), and turn it into a cake.

You can see the approximate recipe written out on the card. I rarely use real measurements, but cook by eyeball and feel. If it turns out pretty well, I try to write up notes on the approximate recipe, to the best of my memory.

 

September 2015 adult art class lessons and student drawings displays - buildings of St. George, Maine
Topic: Art Class


Maine farmhouse - student drawings and practices, adult art class, 9/21/15. Click links to see the art displays. We practiced parallelograms by
a)coloring into an imaginary outline
b) coloring in an outline.
Then we did the same drawing methods for shapes with converging edges.
Look for this idea in the roof of this reference photo. We drew that roof big on a fresh piece of paper. We tried to color in the shape as a whole, without outlining before. Then came the front wall of the house. Assess where the back corner of the back roof is and mark with a dot. We tend to make our short side of the house too wide. It usually appears much narrower than you think. Draw the line for the back of the roof. Judge the angles of the ground line. Remember you also judge where it is in relation to the edge of the photo, assuming the photo is not awry!
Windows - hang a very taught 'clothesline' for the windows to hang off, (second story). Use simple straight strokes hanging off that clothesline. Do same for first floor windows.
Oops! Find the centerline of the front wall, (street front), to make the center window and front door. Centerline? Where diagonals from corner to corner drawn on the front wall cross.
REMEMBER - verticals need to be VERTICAL. Stand up straight.
We are seeing leaps here in how many of these buildings are standing up straight.
Add the L of the building if you can.

Maine farmhouse, student drawings, adult art class, Sept. 2015

Harjula's barn - a kind of perspective practice to start. We drew those colored in boxes in both the wrong way and a somewhat right way. No real why is it right or wrong. Just draw and try to figure out what differences you observe. These colored in boxes are drawn without outlines. They are to be colored into imaginary outlines.
Then a bit of forced perspective just to get a taste of the concept. Get verticals vertical and not slanting. That is a top priority - or your barn will lean or start to float off its foundation.
Then we worked from the reference photo of Harjula's barn, located on Rt. 131, here in Maine. Any barn can do though.

Harjula's barn, student drawings, adult art class, Sept. 2015

St. George Grange, student drawings, adult art class, Sept. 2015

MacNCheese - one bowl, stovetop 'oven' invention
Topic: Recipes
MacNCheese - one bowl, stovetop 'oven' invention



My delicious cooking experiment for dinner tonight, 4/16/15. Have never truly made mac n cheese. This was a test to see if I could make it in my stove-top 'oven' invention - the 'oven' made of two aluminum pie plates, some tin foil, set to cook/bake in the cast iron fry pan on my stove-top burner.

How to make? Loose recipe - measurements approximate as I eyeball everything. and use cutlery spoons instead of measuring spoons:
4 cupped palms (maybe 8 T. ?) macaroni
c. 3/4 - 1 t. oriental ramen soup flavor/seasoning
c. 1/2 t. cider vinegar
c. 4 T (c. 1 handful/cupped palm) frozen petit peas
two 1/8" slices sharp cheddar cheese - enough to cover the top.
 
Macaroni first in the bowl, (seems to be a one cup bowl).
seasoning & vinegar sprinkled over mac.
Peas next.
Cheese on top
Water even with the cheese.
Cover with a tinfoil tent, shiny side down.
Set in foil pie plate. Cover with inverted foil pie plate.
Set in fry pan. Cover fry pan.
Cook til done with heat set to low/mediium - #3 on my burner gauge. I cooked an hour. Was probably done earlier. At some point I could hear things steaming and sizzling over. Turns out something was getting over the edge and burning, but not the food in the bowl. It was excellent. I have saved half for tomorrow.

The Big Bad Winter and a Note to Self!, and... an Arctic Animals coloring book.
Topic: Life

0218/15 11:39a Note to self:
it is not the environment, the conditions, that matters to the animals. they go about their business no matter what, joyfully, zestfully, taking it as it comes, making the best of whatever is in front of them. we get caught up in the myth that we ought to have the conditions we want. let us instead make things wondrous no matter what, take things in awe as they come. yess! let me remember this.

I have been looking for every way to see winter differently so that i will not get as down about it when it comes rolling around again almost as if it never left.
so, for instance:
Do polar bears want winter to leave?
Do penguins want winter to go?
There are whole species that thrive in constant winter. They are made for it. They need it.
Our problems with it, (those of us who have problems with it), is that we have put on such heavy other associations with it. Let us instead just put on our heavy winter clothes, make our heat, and get to it!

After these thoughts came to me while watching the backyard animals go about their business, and my cat so thrilled in the window because the squirrel and bluejay were coming for peanuts so close to the window, that he had not a moment to even think about asking to go outside yet, I wrote up my reminder to self. And then realized, how perfect to connect it with the arctic animals coloring pages i recently put together. They are mostly demonstration drawings from the kids' art class series. Many of these images are also in another of my coloring page collection.

Download the Arctic Animals Coloring Pages Book, PDF!

Donate and find the other coloring book:

 

 

"Let's Draw February Celebrations!" - Children's drawing workshops, 2015
Topic: Kids Art Class
Press Release:
"Let's Draw February's Celebrations!" - Children's Drawing Workshops at
Rockland Public Library, 2015

Rockland -  Children will draw images from February's celebrations and
traditions at Rockland Public Library's ongoing drawing workshops led
by artist Catinka Knoth. Participants draw along with Knoth as she
demonstrates how to draw subjects for Valentine's
Day, Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, and President's Day.  Each week is a different subject:

2/03     Valentine's Day cards & papercuts
2/10     Chinese New Year Season - Year of the Sheep, Ram, Goat, starts
2/17     Mardi Gras masks,
2/24     Presidents

Sponsored by Wendy and Keith Wellin, the workshops, for age 6 and up,
are free and open to the public, with all materials provided. Knoth
expects participants to be able to work independently for the most
part. Children age 10 and under should be accompanied by an adult.
Ongoing workshops meet every Tuesday, 4-5 pm, Community Room, Rockland Public Library, 80 Union St.,  hosted by Friends of Rockland Library.  FMI - Jean Young, children's librarian, 594-0310.

Young artists will  draw a wide range of motifs. Valentine's Day cards often have motifs such as hearts, birds,
cupids, lace, ribbons, and roses. Chinese New Year 2015,
which starts 2/19, is celebrated for 15 days. It is the Year of the Sheep. Participants may explore traditional papercut  designs, Chinese dragons, and Lion Dancers.  Mardi Gras  motifs include masks, King
cakes, doubloons, jazz instruments, jester, tricorn hat, and beads. In honor of the presidents, students will explore  classic presidential portraits.