kittycafe

Corner View: Fire

There is a lot of fire in my life.  I'm not really sure how this came to be, I am an earth sign all the way. I like my feet firmly planted on the ground. I like digging in the dirt in the garden and I love working with pottery clay. Both are very grounding activities.

Pottery needs all the elements in play : clay, water, air and lastly and most importantly, fire. 

Appropriately I found this first paragraph on Euan Craig's blog today. Euan is an Australian living in Japan, making his living from pottery. His kiln was ruined in the earthquake and this post I am lifting the quote from, shows the rebuilding of his kiln: 

"Pottery is pottery by virtue of fire; without fire it is mere clay. A potter is thus a potter by virtue of fire, and a potter without a kiln is no potter at all. Last year I watched as the seven tonnes of my kiln danced like bamboo in the breeze. It has taken fourteen months, but I am a potter once more!"

 I found these old photos of a group raku firing we had at the old studio where I worked. If you ever have the opportunity to watch or participate in a raku firing, do take it.

Raku is exciting and immediate. Unlike a regular kiln which takes many hours to complete the process, raku is relatively quick.  You see the "kiln" in the first photo, a retrofitted steel drum. The pot being held with tongs is red hot from the fire and is then plunged  into straw or newspaper where they will smoke and blacken (whatever is not glazed will be black).  The next step is to plunge the piece into water. You can hear the crackle of the glaze. On the right photo my friend Dale (in the red shirt) is cleaning his pot once it was cool enough to handle. There are fantastic metallic glazes in raku.

In this photo my candlesticks are being placed on straw. More straw will cover them. Then they will get a bath.

These are the same candlesticks in the photo below.

 

For a laugh, I included the first raku pot I ever made, maybe the first pot ever, from the very first class I ever threw clay, * that little pot in the front. This was from almost 30 years ago, when the instructor decided it would be fun for our last class to raku fire everything we had left over, in a drum kiln in the parking lot. The class on the whole was not very sure about the process and had little time to decide how to glaze their pots, so I chose to go with a very primitive design. That's how the process was described to us, primitive: clay and water, air and lastly,

fire. 

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane, hosted by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.

Find more Fire here.

 

 

(I occasionally use this for a small plant. Raku is not water tight and not food safe)

 

Re-appearing

I didn't really mean to be blog gone for so long but come to think of it, I've done it before at this time of year. Maybe every year.

There is one word for it : BUSY.

The outdoors screams at me for getting to it and the inside chores - still there, darn it!

I had to dump the contents of my camera out to refresh my own memory. And the camera has been acting up so there are holes in the photo story.

In no particular order:

A new soap!

I'm calling this one Herb Garden and it's full of... wait for it: herbs.

It smells divine. Now I am working on a shampoo bar. I'm not entirely sure about shampoo bars but I'm willing to experiment.

 

I seem to have a lot of pictures of these cleaned ramps a friend brought over. We don't have ramps/wild leeks on property and his partner is allergic to onions so, thank you, thank you. They are a little labour-intensive to clean but worth it.

...I"m also finding a lot of photos of breakfasts.

I am currently obsessed with adding bananas and walnuts to everything. I used this recipe, adding more bananas and walnuts. I've also made banana crepes, although these are the best pancakes I have ever had, and they contain no bananas.

A co-worker and tea drinking buddy is leaving for a different job just up the street (at a tea room, no less) so I painted her a mug to take with her. Into the kiln you go. I am officially surrounded by coffee drinkers now :(

I was sick one week and lost my voice (and my blog voice too) so I finished the parquet flooring of the master bedroom of the doll house - with wooden coffee stir sticks (those coffee drinkers do come in handy)

 The quilt and afghan were also completed, the pillows are prototypes. The wall art will be sized down. I would rather have a more austere platform bed in there, but this is the one we have. The photo of just the flooring is missing in action

Next up is the mini kitchen and I have been busy making the appliances already. So much for a winter project, finishing this miniature house....If you missed the living room it is here

I have no photo of the sweater I ripped out - hanging head - after I thought I was in the home stretch. It's the second time with this particular yarn... maybe that's a sign.

The holiday long weekend was spent working and making a prom dress. It wasn't really in the plan but  there you go. And then my son came home to finish of his costume for the Anime North convention his friends go to, so it was a sewing weekend. To be fair, he did most of his myself (and he hasn't sent me pics yet)

6'3" in those ridiculous heels, in case you were wondering. And the back:

Please admire the back. It was a pattern modification by yours truly, as were the buttons instead of a zipper. She was a demanding customer.

So the garden had to wait another week to be planted. The long weekend was officially the safe planting weekend here.

Now we are praying for rain, it is hot and parched around here (and my hose and watering can bit the dust!) ...

but the poppies are doing fine and no back breaking labour was involved there. They just show up with their beautiful flower heads bobbing in the wind.

So I think I'm all caught up.

Unless you count the laundry.

 

Corner View: Things that make you go, "Hmmm..."

This year it has to be, hands down: The Weather.

Summer heat in March, which was very unexpected but very nice but still, hmm?

and then in late April this:

 

Not a little bit of snow, 7 hours of hard blowing snow! This is the morning after, when a lot had already fallen off the trees and was starting to melt.

This week we are enjoying warmer than usual temperatures again, but next week?

Hmmm....

Corner View: Typical family Dinner

I had to really think about this one because I wasn't sure about what would constitute a typical meal for us. Being the chief cook (okay the only cook) in the family I like to change things up and experiment constantly, because I like a lot of variety on the plate and to stave off the boredom factor in the kitchen.

Of course, there are a few constants, like roast chicken. I like this meal in the colder months because I get three meals out of one roast. The first dinner, the leftovers made into chicken pot pie or chicken taquitos (a real favourite) and then the bones are made into broth for soup.

But sometimes I change it up and make a Wet Roast Chicken as follows:

In a dutch oven, place sliced onion, garlic (whole cloves or mashed) sliced celery and carrots.

On top of these, place your chicken. I cut through the backbone as best I can and butterfly it. The idea is to make it as  flat as possible, placing it breast side up in the pot. (Ran out of room for the leg in the photo above!) Sprinkle salt and pepper, paprika and what ever else you like ( a little butter or olive oil rubbed in is good too)

Then fill the pot to the midway point of the chicken with water. You can use chicken stock but really it makes it's own.

Place in the oven uncovered and roast until done.

The chicken is always moist done this way and we eat those carrots from underneath with the meal with potatoes or noodles. The best part of this whole method is the very flavourful broth you are left with.

You can pour it over the chicken or make a fabulous soup with it. This skips the step of boiling the bones and who doesn't like a short cut?

What is typical with our meal? Salad to finish.

More typical family meals here.

 

 

 

 

Art on Monday

Corner View: Eggs

My family is egg crazy.

We go through a lot of eggs in a week. The father/daughter team think a couple eggs each after school is a fine snack.

When the kids were small, they liked soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers in eggs cups they had painted.

These days eggs are often eaten fried and egg cups are used for mystery seed collection and wine charm storage and chocolate eggs. (chocolate Easter eggs also being very important)

Egg shells are saved and crushed to put around tomato plants.

These days the hardest part about eggs is acquiring them.

The Egg Lady way down my road puts out her sandwich board and a cooler of eggs every day. It's a bit of a ways down the road so I drive there in the mornings we need to restock. Once you've tasted farm fresh eggs there is no going back to grocery store eggs. It is the law in this country that these eggs cannot be sold in stores (they are not graded blah, blah...) and the only way to get them is at the farm gate.

It depends on the time of year but usually Egg Lady's cooler is full. You do have to get there early to make sure she has some left.

My friend lives closer and she can walk there. Sometimes when we meet at work she brings me a dozen.

Lately we have been striking out when we go visit the Egg Lady. The cooler is empty.

We check the little container inside the cooler where you leave your money and count it to see how many dozen were sold before we got there. Mmm.

I'll try again tomorrow, my friend decides. The outcome: no eggs.

We  figure between 8 o'clock and 8:20 is just the right time. Egg Lady usually puts them out just after 8 and lately they have been gone by 8:30. But again no eggs. Hmmph! I leave my empty egg cartons for her and drive home empty handed.

We are starting to suspect that one person has been stopping and buying all the eggs for their friends and neighbours. 

My friend goes early and hangs back, staking the driveway out. She waits for 1/2 hour and sees three cars slow down but for the first time the Egg Lady does not put eggs out that day! 

No eggs at all! she emails me.

Who said country life was bucolic? This is an Egg War.

So, this week my friend was able to get a dozen for me and a dozen for herself but clearly our supply is severely compromised and like any addicts  egg loving folk we need to find a back up source.

I got a lead that another Egg Lady will start putting out eggs at her driveway soon. She only does this in the warmer months. She's a lot closer to me so I will have to start another drive-by scout out soon. The stress, the drama!

And yes, we have considered having our own laying hens but we were told that there is a real problem with the foxes and coyotes coming around and since my kitties like to go outside during the day, this might not be a good idea. 

More eggy goodness here.

 

 

 

Given and Received

I was the recipient of two treats in the mail this week!

First, I won a blog anniversary contest at Bird Brain Designs. Christine makes handbags and totes and pouches, often from up-cycled leather. I chose this small purse, made from a leather jacket.

I love the interior fabric with her logo on it.

I am thrilled with it. Thank you, Xine!

The next parcel was from Debra as part of Corner to Corner. As you may have noticed I participate in the weekly Corner View, and we are now sending a tenugui around the globe with a small gift inside.

Thank you so much, Debra! 

And I will now be sending some goodies back to the US.

And given?

I made my mother this Herb Garden Shawl for her birthday which was this weekend. I finished the cast off on the morning of - whew.

I usually knit her socks but I wasn't feeling in the mood for those this time and then Heather posted this pattern that she had made a few times and I knew it was the perfect thing to give.

My mum lives in a retirement home and like most elderly folk, she is often cold. I thought this would be a perfect wrap for evening sitting and tv watching and reading. She is not found of fussy things and would not have appreciated a lacy shawl. She was very happy with it. It is warm and stretchy.

I used acrylic (Red Heart Curly Q) as I wasn't sure how careful the laundry staff would be with pure wool.

Her favourite of my cats loved it up a bit at every opportunity and she was happy about that (and also I imagine, that I removed the cat hair)

Hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend.

 

 

Corner View: Self Portrait/Where I Live

I cheated and asked my daughter to take a photo of me. I couldn't quite manage it myself and my hands were dirty. Here I am at a makeshift spot at the kitchen table doing what I feel most comfortable doing - making.

Making what? Plant markers out of clay while the dinner was simmering.

More self portraits here

Memory Food

You know the kind.  I takes you back to your childhood. Or one single place in time.

Here is one of mine.

Growing up, we had a large Italian family next door to us. There were four girls and one boy, two of which were my age and we played together regularly.

Their mother was a tiny woman who spoke very little English. She kept to her home and garden.

Every once in a while my mother would be invited over for coffee. 

And occasionally, we would hear a knock on the side door and this neighbour, Tina would be there with a big smile and with something special in her hands, plum cake.

I remember peeking from behind my mother (because there wasn't much room at the door) very excited. I had to check though. Sometimes she brought a half of plum, and the other half a lemon curd variation. The lemon curd was fine but the plum was divine! There was some illusive flavour to the plums and I could never figure out what it was. The dough was soft and not too sweet.

Years later, when her daughters and myself had grown up and we were all gathered for a bridal shower I asked her for the recipe. I got the response I was expecting. She did not have a recipe, she made it intuitively.

Could she give me a guideline?

I grabbed a paper napkin and a pen and wrote it down. Then at home I experimented until I figured out how much "some flour to make a smooth dough" was. I would have loved to watch her make it instead but this is all I had.  I was surprised to find out what made that plum filling sing.

Tina's Plum Cake.

 

The original recipe makes two large slabs but here I have cut it in half. You can double it again and knock on your neighbour's door with the other. I highly recommend it.

This is not  traditional "cake" in the North American sense of the word.

It is perfect with coffee or tea.

I don't imagine it would keep well but I have never had to find out!

Butter a 9"x 13'' metal pan or jelly roll pan)

Beat 3 eggs 

1/2 C olive oil

1 C sugar

and 1/2 C milk together.

Mix 1/2 tsp baking powder with 3.5 C all purpose flour and lemon rind.

Mix flour mixture together with wet ingredients. You may need more flour (up to 1/2 C)

The dough should be just past the sticky stage but can be handled. Use your hands in the bowl to knead gently to a smooth dough. Add flour sparingly as you need to.

Take half of the dough onto a lightly floured board and roll out a bit to fit the bottom of your pan. Lay it in the pan pressing it in with your fingers.

Take one jar of plum jam or butter and mix in 3 spoonfuls of cocoa powder. 

Spread over dough.

Roll the remaining dough into ropes and crisscross over the filling.

Bake at 350'F for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

My photo shows that I used a round tart pan ( I used a pie plate for the rest of the dough) This is because I only have my small convection oven/microwave to bake in at the moment and a rectangular pan would not fit. (It is also why the top got a little too dark and took a much shorter time to bake. Nothing however, stops me from baking!

 

Corner View: In Hindsight

In hindsight, she may regret abandoning all indoor domestic chores... 

but she could not help but enjoy the freakishly hot spring summer-like weather of this March week outside.

Happy spring equinox!

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane, now hosted by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.