Author: Barbara Stroud

I started the ArtFoodHome.com daily (now 4 times/week) blog 1/1/11 (easy to remember, right?) and have kept it going since then. Come back each day - I share with you: ART: featured artists, art events, workshops, etc. FOOD: recipes, restaurants, and good finds along the way HOME: house plans, home design, places here in Charleston... On year 14 of artfoodhome.com - share this site with anyone who you think might enjoy it!

Happy Father’s Day!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment
My dad… (Joe Fidler, and my mom, Sheila, peeking through on the left)

Happy Father’s Day dad! I love, love, love this picture of you! Great smile, great time we had on Monhegan Island, ME. I love you for all you’ve done for me. You’ve taught me many things, you have said wise things (that I didn’t think were so wise at the time, but I realize now, you WERE right, hey, it happens, ha ha…). A few things that come to mind… when I no longer wanted to take piano lessons, and I asked you WHY I needed to know how to play the piano. You told me so that I could play for myself, I didn’t like that answer, so you told me I could play at parties… hmmm, closer, but nah… I could live without that noteriety, ha… damn, I wish I never stopped taking lessons, way too hard when you’re older. I remember I didn’t want to go to bed one night and you told me, one day you’re going to WANT TO SLEEP… I thought you had lost your marbles. Who wants to go to bed early, I couldn’t wait to grow up so I could stay up… yep, that’s me, I stay up till 9:00, well most nights! Darn if you weren’t right again! I was very fortunate to grow up with such a cool dad that taught me so many things as I watched YOU do so many things (photography and developing, that was TOO COOL, painting…, rock polishing, wine making, canoe building, wooden ornament making and the list goes on and on and on… you are so interesting to be around because you are so interested in everything. I remember how I used to love to stand on your feet and dance, do you remember that? Cruising Georgian Bay on a sailboat… heaven, at least from a kids perspective! North Star Sail Club, WOW, now THOSE were fun times! Moving to Algonac and living on the river… ABSOLUTE HEAVEN! Thank you for all you have done. I love you with all my heart…

 
Fred’s dad, Carlisle, I call him DC…

And a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to you DC! We thank you for all you do for us, all you help us learn, for helping us to keep our house in working order and for showing us how to do oh so many things. We appreciate it more than you can ever know! You’re the best. Fred was also lucky to grow up with such a great dad (and mom!), who camped, fished, went to horse shows and did so much together. I join Fred in thinking you are a wonderful man and we love you!

 
I hope all you Father’s out there have a wonderful day, and to those of you who aren’t Father’s, be a mentor to someone… you don’t have to be an actual “father”… go celebrate yourself!
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Funny sign Saturday…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
"The Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Painted c.1503-6. Oil paint on wood. Size: 30x20" (77x53cm). This famous painting is now in the collection of the Louvre in Paris.

 Here are some fun facts from www.socialstudiesforkids.com regarding Mona Lisa:

The famous painting done by Leonardo Da Vinci that everyone calls the Mona Lisa is not really called that. Its real title is La Gioconda.

The woman in the painting was the wife of a man named Francesco del Gioconda, and so the painting was titled, by its creator La Gioconda. It was known for a time as the Madonna Lisa, which probably explains why it has its present name.

Leonardo created this painting over many years, beginning in 1503. When he finished it is debated by historians. During this time, he also was painting many other things, building sculptures, and making new inventions.

As for her famous smile, art historians still debate why she is smiling and what that smile represents. Everyone who sees the painting probably has his or her own ideas.

One last thing: Did you ever notice that the woman in this most of paintings has no eyebrows? It’s true. Look closely. Women at that time were considered more beautiful if they had their eyebrows shaved.

Catch you back here tomorrow!!

Artist to watch… Aleksander Titovits!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: EllaRichardson.com

Aleksander Titovits. A Russian artist with such talent. This is an artist that we’ve been following for quite some time now. His snow scenes intrigue me… maybe because I grew up in Michigan, with snow, and for the past 22 years have lived where you can literally count the snowflakes… his snow scenes make you feel as if YOU. ARE. THERE. I love the warmth in this one, that perfect golden light that makes everything look just right. Aptly named WARM EVENING, this painting is another example of the talent that exudes from Titovits. In Charleston his work is shown at the Ella Richardson Gallery. In Austin, Tx his work is shown at the Gallery Shoal Creek, they have a nice bio on Aleksander, very interesting (click HERE to read).

Something I learned while researching for this post… Did you know that Aleksander was commissioned to paint Laura Bush’s portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery? Click HERE to read a fabulous article about the unveiling…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

GINGER… todays cancer prevention tip…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Big, beautiful ginger. Ok, so ginger doesn’t win any beauty contests, but what it does to your body is all good stuff. This is straight from an article from Prevention Magazine, “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” . Here goes…

GINGER

Fresh ginger, or gingerroot, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that combats certain cancer cells and helps slow tumor growth. A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

How to Use It: Add grated fresh ginger to a vegetable stir-fry or fruit salad. Or, make an infusion by slicing a 1-inch piece of ginger and steeping it in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes; drink hot or cold.

Oh, there is nothing better than fresh ginger. It livens up a stirfry, oooh, the shrimp and broccoli stirfry… the steak, mushroom and bok choy stir fry… just to name a few (click on names for recipes). It’s FABULOUS in green tea… any time I’m under the weather I make green tea with sliced fresh ginger, let it steep for a while, then add honey and lemon. Mmmm, good!

These Thursday cancer tip posts are dedicated to my mom… going through chemo right now, bless her heart. Thoughts and prayers always appreciated! She’s a strong lady! I love you mom!

Catch you back here tomorrow…

For dinner tonight… chicken pita with tzatziki!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Chicken Pita with Tzatziki

This is such a quick and fabulous meal! Perfect for those hot days when you want to get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. You can also add whatever you like, add onions, olives, cheese, you could use steak instead of chicken, endless possibilities, so see what you have hanging out in your fridge and toss this together, sit down and enjoy!!

CHICKEN PITA WITH HOMEMADE TZATZIKI

2 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
1-2 T Lime Juice (more or less to taste)
2 Fresh good pitas
1 Tomato, chopped

Tzatziki: 1 cucumber, greek yogurt, some garlic, fresh or dried dill and a splash of lemon juice.

In a skillet with olive oil (or canola) sauté the chicken, when its close to being done cut it up (while it’s still in the pan) into bite size pieces (I use scissors, it’s much quicker), then continue to cook until just about done. Squeeze the lime juice over the chicken in the skillet, and cook until absorbed. This makes the chicken turn a beautiful golden brown color. You can also throw in some onions if so inclined..

Finely chop up a cucumber with seeds removed, add to plain greek yogurt with fresh or dried dill and a splash of lemon (squeeze a wedge). You can use a microplane to get a little (or a lot) of garlic added, stir it together and set aside while you assemble the pita.

I like the pita heated. It’s not necessary, just a personal preference. I heat the pita wrapped in wax paper and a tiny sprinkle of water and put in microwave just until warm. Take it out and place one pita on each plate, put chicken on top, cut up tomatoes, a spoonful of tzatziki, some black pepper and a sprinkle of dill. 
Oh la la….  ENJOY!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Guy Corriero!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments
Image: WiscassetBayGallery.com

Artist to watch… Guy Corriero! This painting, ROUGE WAVE, is out of this world! The colors of the water are spot on, the movement is fantastic, you can feel it, you can even smell the salt in the air. Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little, but I swear I can even HEAR these waves crashing. What caught my eye on this particular painting was how the light hit the waves and how part of the painting is in shadow. So interesting!  I ran across Guy Corriero’s paintings at Wiscasset Bay Gallery, one of my favorite galleries! Keith Oehmig has such a wonderful selection of art, surely everyone could walk out with something to treasure forever! If you get a chance check out Wiscasset Bay Gallery (www.wiscassetbaygallery.com) and check out Guy’s work!

Catch you back here tomorrow!
If you get a chance… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Y’all, it’s HOT, this will help keep you cool!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: GarnetHill.com

It seems that we went from winter to summer all in the snap of a finger. Cool one day and *POOF* hotter than Haiti the next! Well, this is for the ladies… I cannot sleep if I’m hot. Even though the AC is running (bless its little heart) and the fan is blowing if you don’t have the right sleepwear you can work yourself up into a frenzy! I ran across this from Garnet Hill (I. LOVE. GARNET. HILL!). I read the reviews about this “Flutterby gown” and they were ahhhh-mazing! Most said that this was PERFECT for the Southern summer climate… woohoo… cool to sleep in, whaaaat? That’s it!! Like an infommercial junkie I was sold, and ordered it tuit de suite! It arrived a few days later and woohoo I am in heaven! So if you’re looking for a gift to give someone who’s hot (ha ha)… this is the ticket!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com …

 

A good lesson for everyone… especially these days!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS1 Comment
Image: http://laughs.rd.com

Seriously. This is a good point, it’s always best to diversify… meet lots of people, learn how to do many things, have interests that you would only dream of having. You only have one life… so be awake for it.

Have a great weekend… going to go get a cup of coffee now, hee hee…  (‘be awake for it’)…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
 

Artist to watch… Carol Marine!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: BlueCloudStudios.com

Carol Marine… I found her years and years ago while searching through different painting a day sites. Carol’s blog is amazing, a painting a day… absolutely spectacular! I try to use an image that is still for sale when I post an entry. There are so many SOLD paintings, it was tough! They’re all so good, so happy… if you get a chance, check out her website, http://www.bluecloudstudios.com … Then check out her blog ( http://carolmarine.blogspot.com/ ) you will flip! So many amazing paintings! Oh happy day!

Catch you back here tomorrow!
Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com for my photo blog…

Pomegranate Juice… Seriously good stuff!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Pomegranate juice. Seriously? WHO KNEW? This is some seriously good stuff! Most of us know it by the brand POM, but many brands are now available. Today’s cancer tip is from a great magazine article “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” by Prevention Magazine!

Pomegranate Juice

This juice, which tastes like raspberries, has been used in Persian medicine for thousands of years. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well confirmed; studies show it can substantially reduce the development of even the most aggressive prostate cancers (among others). In addition, drinking it daily slows the spread of an established prostate cancer by more than 50%.

How to Drink It: Have 8 ounces daily with breakfast.

Well mom, today is treatment #3, nine more to go… we’re in the single digits now, woohoo!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Also… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

English Pea Salad, recipe from Paula Deen’s sons…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
English Pea Salad

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen’s son’s, (AKA “The Deen brothers”). It was featured on her Food Network show Paula’s Best Dish’s, the All in the Family episode. I didn’t see it, my mom told me she tried this recipe and got rave reviews. Everyone wanted the recipe. THAT’S the kind of thing I like to take somewhere. Once you throw it together, put it in a pretty dish and off you go! (OK, some of you may have noticed, I didn’t put it in a pretty dish, but I was taking this to a neighborhood get together on a very warm evening, so I put it in a stainless bowl and then placed the stainless bowl inside a larger stainless bowl filled with ice, I topped it with plastic wrap and a thick towel to keep the heat out. So much for my pretty dish, ugh. Might want to take printed recipes with you or a link to the online version (click HERE , easy to print), otherwise, here you go…

English Pea Salad

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let cool.

In a medium serving bowl, combine the bacon, peas, cheese, and eggs. Stir in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Artist to watch… Kenn Backhaus!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: KennBackhaus.com

Artist Kenn Backhaus. A lovely surprise!

I seem to have a thing for sailboats lately… It all started with Ken Dewaard’s “Pink Sails”, which I love, love, love, and am happy to say have hanging where I see it all the time! I wasn’t familiar with Kenn Backhaus, but I have to say that I’m thrilled to have found his work! I recently featured artist Sue Stewart and noticed on her website that she had taken a workshop from him, so I thought I would check out his work, and whoa… have to say it was tough picking WHICH wonderful painting to feature! This painting is entitled “Make Ready for Tomorrow’s Voyage” and is at the Debra Huse Gallery. Check out Kenn’s website! Http://kennbackhaus.com . It’s full of wonderful information… Here’s a blip from his site:

In September of 2006 Kenn was filmed, painting up in Alaska as part of a PBS series entitled, “Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape”.  For more information, please visit: www.pleinairamerica.com

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Finally! A table you can dance on!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: SundanceCatalog.com

The Brickmaker’s coffee table… now THIS is a table you can dance on! This table is large (55″ L x 36.5″ D x 17.5″ H). It’s sturdy and it has a fabulous look. It’s the perfect marriage of old and new. The wood is old, both the wood and the metal base are recycled, so you’re doing your part to be green! You don’t have to worry about water rings or getting a scratch. You can plop your feet on it, sit on it, stand on it and yes, dance, if you’re so inclined. Like I said this table is large and we have it in a small space so it really makes a statement.

I’m sure you’ve seen this table in many places, this image is taken from Sundance catalog… my oh my, what wonderful treasures they have!
 
Enjoy your day, I’ll catch you back here tomorrow…
If you get a chance: http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !