cook: spring harvest + fridge clean out

Before leaving for spring break, I traded my fancy nonstick pans from Food 52 with a friend who got a new stove and couldn't use her wok anymore on it. I also came away from the food pantry at school with a whole head of cauliflower and lots of heads of broccoli. I cut up the cauliflower and used my "new" wok by cleaning out my fridge and frying rice. I diced cauliflower, onions, carrots, celery and minced garlic. I also sliced medallions of Japanese spicy sausage and Chinese sweet sausage as well as added frozen corn and peas.

 

For the stir fry sauce, I broke out my bottles of oyster and soy and Maggi seasoning. I guess I don't care much for a dry rice or for it sticking to the bottom of the wok because I added chicken broth and then water to de-glaze.

Not bad.

Healthy. From the broccoli as well as leeks and spring onions from a harvest, I made a quiche AND a soup. And I deviated from Gordon Ramsay's recipe by not adding goat cheese and walnuts though I did use heavy whipping cream and a bit of Better than Bouillon.

My quiche seemed overcooked to me though gorgeous and not as high and fluffy as I wanted, BUT the soup was the hit for the neighbor gathering called a spring fling.

A few neighbors asked for my leftover jars of broccoli soup, but I do have one for me and Patrick in the fridge. From the public library I checked out this promising book about how Banksy has saved art history.

My spring break had a promising start. A great outrigger canoe practice UNTIL I hyperextended (my erector spinae)on a stroke and which HURT. When I should've rested, I instead swam instead of the rest, ice, compression, compression. And spring break is now Friday, and so I think I can now lengthen and strengthen that muscle with double knees to chest stretch and some side bends where I stand with my feet shoulder-width apart and gently bend to the side, holding for a few seconds and some cat cow on my hands and knees. I canceled my practice for this Saturday and will do plank and wall squats when the pain completely disappears. I should not have swam that mile Tuesday night, but afterward, I did go to Gourmet Haus Staudt with my friend Cybil and drank a lovely winterberry cider and ate pork schnitzel with fries and salad. 

We were gonna stay, so she could do calligraphy and I stitch, but I forgot my reading glasses AND my side was hurting. My side still hurt yesterday when I and Cybil and her friend, Lyra also went to the new Korean market and emporium called Jagalchi, and hurt like the dickens when I swam a half mile later. I was more comfortable just crouched at the end of the pool like Spider-Man. My side still hurts, but I'm going to the ceramics studio this morning and tomorrow. Maybe I'll cook a couple more dishes like a gumbo and a Bolognese after I get back from Costco tonight. Maybe I'll even do some laundry and some linoleum carving too.

field trip: filoli gardens

Last Monday, I chaperoned the photography students to Filoli. I only briefly walked through the mansion and photographed their homage to Women's History month.

As much as I looking at all the turn-of-the-century appliances and cooking equipment of the period kitchen of the mansion, I checked in on the students and then moved my exploring outdoors.

Beyond the kiosks, where they were selling wine and charcuterie boards, you can unlatch the gate and further explore the estate. Instead of walking the asphalt path that circled around the meadow, I trod on dirt to the giant bay laurel tree past the hay growing field and compost heaps.

I was more interested in seeing how far I could range outside from the main grounds.

 

I appreciate that the museum includes a little geologic history that tells about the San Andreas fault.

Instead of photographing mostly manicured gardens, I aimed my camera lens on forest flowers and foliage like the periwinkle and the Indian Warrior below.

   

The museum grounds also cede a bit of land acknowledgement and indigenous history.

More interesting California history is the search for water.

  

And here's the creek that I ambled alongside.

I hiked further up and encountered live oaks.

And then the air started to feel cooler and moist.

I love that there is redwood forest in my backyard a short drive away.

   

But it was time to go eat lunch with the high schoolers, and I headed back to the mansion to get a glimpse of the tulip gardens.

Why yes I do love monochromatic palettes.

And I could tell that we're nearing the end of tulip season.

And of course, I had to duck into the gift shop for ceramic inspiration. I liked the color palette of these multiple vases on a base. But for individual stems, I think I prefer white ceramic.

And when I looked more closely at these mini vases. The flowers are adhered with epoxy, which I dislike.

I did like this luster dish.

And these vases weren't even ceramic, but felt like some kind of resin.

And so there were no ceramic forms I wanted to re-make as my own. I arrived home at Patrick's own tulip and spring bulb arrangement.

I've plans over the spring break to transcribe all the ideas in my ceramic journal to one that is more securely bound.

clay, canoe, cook: a weekend for glazing, a second practice and spring meals

I’ve come to accept that my life will be consumed by works in progress. These two wall hanging containers for air plants are kind of too small, but my air plant from Kentucky bore two pups a few months ago, and when I finally snip them from their mother, they’re going into these new homes. I’m also going to string these holed pinch pots into a wind chime soon.

And I love, love, love these abstract wall tile installations I saw on Instagram.

Since birds are not my spirit animal, I suppose I would design a fish swimming underwater. 

However, I do love the eye motif. I think though to make it my own, I would include hand and heart.

Seriously, so fantastic and reminiscent of a fabulous quilt.

I miss playing with pattern from my 2D class and just experimenting with texture on clay in general. And so I’m committing to do just that in my clay journal in my little down time.

Last week was my second outrigger canoe practice for the new season.

I could feel my lats and glutes and strings afterward--but swam a mile later that afternoon so my Sunday could be absolutely free and leisurely. And when I went to Clay Life before my swim, I sighted two of my bisque pieces which needed glazing.

And then left right after stopping by, so I could tend to this soup: cranberry beans and savoy cabbage from the garden; onion, garlic, Italian sausage, chicken bone broth from the pantry.

And we didn't eat the soup because it was steak dinner night. While Patrick grilled the rib eye on the charcoal Weber, I roasted the "cheddar" cauliflower and braised the Savoy cabbage in butter. 

Damn fine dinner.

Consuming too many glasses of wine made for shitty sleep, which was A-Okay because I wasn't working out or having to visit family on the Sunday after a super busy Saturday. At Clay Life, I found even more of my bisque pots that needed glazing.

I suppose I will call these little plates, jewelry or ring holders. and I got experimental with the glazing of this pomegranate by dipping it in Blushing Pink and finger painting a purplish Mayco Stroke & Coat atop with some Teddy Bear brown underglaze inside the calyx.

For my sea mug, there was a woman using this celadon pictured below which I asked if I could use too. I asked also if I could have some of her Seaweed which looks really lovely atop Deep Sea.

I brought in my own celadon of Sky and found Aqua on the shelf at Clay Life.

I brought in my own celadon of Sky and found Aqua on the shelf at Clay Life. I added that too to my frost porcelain sea mug, and it could end up being a hot mess. But the pot could also end up being one of the loveliest cups too. I ended up glazing the little vases with Majolica or gloss white, and they'll likely end up being the little vessels for Ikebana arrangements.