white on white (fcp)

"I have always felt that in order to be a good painter one should be color-blind, because color doesn't have to be seen. It needs only to be felt"...Richard Lindner

white, all in a row (fcp)

“My philosophy, like color television, is all there in black and white”...Monty Python

a week of white (fcp)

White on white...a magnolia from my yard in late spring.
"Color is one of the great things in the world that makes it worth living to me and I have come to think of painting as it is my effort to create an equivalent with paint color for the world--life as I see it"...Georgia O'Keefe

bounty--coffee cake (fcp)

Christmas Apple-Nut Coffee Ring
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons (or 2 pkgs) yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
Apple Nut Filling:
2 cups finely chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze:
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons milk (I always need more than this)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: chopped walnuts, red and green candied cherries
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 flour (2 cups) with the sugar, yeast, and salt. In a medium saucepan, heat milk, water, and a butter until lukewarm. Pour into dry ingredients and mix at low speed. Add egg and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. With spoon, add about 1 and 1/2 cups remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead in remaining 1/2 cup flour. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days). Divide dough in half, roll each into a 7x14 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Spread half apple-nut filling over each, roll up along long side, seal edges. Place sealed edges down in a circle on greased cookie sheets, then seal ends firmly. Cut 2/3 of the way into the ring at 1 inch intervals. Turn each one-inch section on its side slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk--1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. When almost cool, drizzle with glaze and decorate with cherries and walnuts. Yields two coffee cakes, one for you and one to share.

Bounty-Happy Thanksgiving! (fcp)

Start-Me-Up Sweet Potato Casserole (from TAG)
3 cups of sweet potatoes
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Boil potatoes and peel. Strain and mash, adding sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. Spread in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
For Topping: Melt 1/3 cup of butter. Mix in 1 cup of Brown Sugar (in honor of Mick) and 1 cup of chopped pecans. Spread on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, and share the love with friends and family...

A week of Bounty (fcp)

Fall always reminds me of apples, and my favorite apple recipe...

Oven Apple Pancakes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk
4 eggs
Set mixture aside.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet on the stove while you prepare:
5 apples, cut in cubes (leave skin on)
Add:
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Saute' until the mixture bubbles and apples are soft. Then pour the flour and egg batter over the apples, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking another 10 minutes. Serve hot from the skillet, and garnish with powdered sugar and strawberries or raspberries. Enjoy!

lace (fcp)

I was thrilled to see this lacy frost on the car--pretty cool design, huh?
"Oh young artist, you search for a subject--yet everything is a subject, your subject is yourself, your impressions, your emotions in the presence of nature"...Eugene Delacroix

lacey leaves (fcp)

"Light...the soul and medium of art"...John Constable

a week of lace...(fcp)

Lacey late afternoon shadows!
"The tantalizing thing is not always to show the source of light, but the effects of light"...Edgar Degas

nature III (fcp)

The late afternoon sun makes the trees appear to be on fire! I am going to miss views like this when the leaves are all gone.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves"...John Muir

nature

Typically we have lots of the brown squirrels here, but occasionally the white squirrels come around too. I would think the bright white fur would be a disadvantage if you needed to avoid predators, but the population doesn't seem to suffer. Compared to the brown squirrel, he does appear considerably smaller, and perhaps even a little malnourished, but maybe that is normal?

this week...it's all about nature

I saw these doves in the backyard and couldn't resist photographing them as they enjoyed each other, and the warmth of the late afternoon sun.
“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best"...Henry Van Dyke

more "on the street where you live"

This is the Ginko Biloba tree in my yard. I don't think I have ever seen bark quite like it; love the shape of the leaves. Any day now it will herald in autumn by turning a brilliant shade of yellow.

"A tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows towards it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great. ... Absorb, absorb, absorb. That is the secret of the tree"... Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao

"on the street where you live"

The butterflies flocking to the butterfly bush (Buddleia, similar to lilacs) are tons of fun to watch this time of year.
I like this theme so much, how about if we post it all week? fcp

"I have often walked down this street before;
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am I several stories high.
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.
Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour Out of ev'ry door?
No, it's just on the street where you live!"...Alan Jay Learner

happy halloween

(21) fcp
"Orange is the happiest color"...Frank Sinatra

all in a row

(19) ancient busts from the British History Museum~ fcp
“America: It's like Britain, only with buttons"...Ringo Starr

curb appeal

(19) Lake Point Tower... fcp
“Chicago is an October sort of city even in spring"...Nelson Algren

shadow

(18) fcp
“I have the world's largest collection of seashells.
I keep it on all the beaches of the world... perhaps you've seen it"...Stephen Wright

recycle

(17) I made this "painting palette" stepping stone and clock from broken pottery and sea-glass~my favorite form of "recycling." fcp

"Men and women approaching retirement age should be recycled for public service work, and their companies should foot the bill. We can no longer afford to scrap-pile people"...Mahatma Gandhi

reflecting

(16) fcp
“If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG"...Bill Gates