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!
While in Maine we had several friends tell us of a wonderful Italian place to visit for dinner. FINALLY we got around to trying it and I swear we will be back each and every year we’re in Rockland! It was absolutely unreal! The pasta was TO. DIE. FOR. Specifically this one… via the Rustica website:
Sausage and Broccoli Rabe ~ Penne with House made hot Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, caramelized onion and marinara.
The restaurant is kind of kitty corner from the Farnsworth Museum if you’re familiar with it… Check it out, give it a try!
We often search our favorite galleries online, especially when the gallery isn’t near where we live. It’s SO NICE to be able to see what the gallery has to offer from the comfort of your favorite chair! Bayview Galleryhas two locations, one in Camden and one in Brunswick, Maine. There is an artist Ron DeFelice that has some wonderful work. We haven’t seen Ron’s work in person yet, but it’s on our list next time we make it to Maine! Check it out if you get a chance!
Here is a blip straight from the Bayview Gallery website: After graduating from RISD with a BFA in Illustration, Ron deFelice worked for many years as a freelance illustrator in the New York city area before going to work for Walt Disney Feature Animation. Still in the animation business, and with many film credits to his name, Ron brings a keen eye for light and color to his plein air painting.
This is one home fragrance that will knock the old socks off! Nothing offensive or strong, just pure delight from the time you place the reeds in the apothecary jar. This is our favorite, by Antica Farmacista, the Magnolia, Orchid & Mimosa combination is a pure clean scent. If you like a stronger scent flip the reeds more often, if you like a softer scent, flip just a few reeds occasionally. When you walk in your house… oooooh… DIVINE!
If you get a chance visit my photo blog ! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Another Pierre-Auguste Renoir quote for the weekend. Did you realize that Renoir and Claude Monet were good friends? Matter of fact Renoir is quoted as saying (regarding Monet)…
Without him I would have given up.
~Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Can you imagine if Renoir would have given up? Eek… Be a friend, mentor someone, let people know the good things they do so they keep on doing them!
Work lovingly done is the secret of all order and all happiness.
~Pierre-Auguste Renoir
This painting makes me smile. My mom and dad sent me a birthday card last year with this image on the front and the sweetest words on the inside of the card. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was talented and boy did he ever paint! Even in his later years when arthritis and rheumatism caused him such pain, he used bandages to secure paintbrushes to his severely deformed hands. Now THAT is dedication…
So dedicate yourself to doing what makes you smile… catch you back here tomorrow!
Ohhhh, a tasty fish-on-Friday treat! This recipe is quick and easy AND it’s delicious! You can use parchment paper or foil, I only had foil onhand so I used it and it worked great! This is a Southern Living magazine recipe, the recipe can be found at MY RECIPES if you would like to be able to print quick and easy, otherwise here it is! ENJOY!
Note… on one occasion this recipe seemed far too lemony, so I don’t use 2 lemons, but that’s up to you!
Lemon-Dill Tilapia
Note: Aluminum foil can be substituted for parchment paper.
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
Ingredients
4 (5-oz.) fresh tilapia fillets
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 lemons, sliced
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons fresh dill (I used dried dill to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper.
Cut parchment paper (or foil) into 4 (13- x 9-inch) rectangles. Place 3 lemon slices crosswise in center of 1 parchment rectangle. Top with 1 fillet. Repeat with remaining lemon slices, fillets, and parchment paper rectangles. Sprinkle fillets evenly with carrot, dill, and parsley. Top each fillet with 1/2 Tbsp. butter. Fold 1 side of parchment paper over fillets; tuck excess parchment under fillets, pressing folds to form a crease.
Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Serve immediately.
Don’t you just love this painting? I bet you can recognize where it’s at with a quick glance… Yep, you guessed it… Monhegan Island, ME. My husband Fred and I discovered yet another wonderful artist last year while we were in Maine. His name is David Lussier and he was giving a workshop at the time. Wonderful paintings. He’s from Woodstock, CT. Check out his website if you get a chance. He gives workshops and has a fantastic blog entitled MY PAINTERLY APPROACH. David’s wife Pam is also an artist, check out her work as well! Catch you back here tomorrow!
It seems that I plug LL Bean quite a bit, but there are a few things from that store that really stand out. The LL Bean Adventure Duffle is one of those. In times where the airlines charge BOOCOO bucks for you to take luggage with you it’s time to go to extreme measures… no more wheels for us, they weigh too much, and whatever the luggage weighs you can deduct from the weight you can put IN it. One year we were stuffed to the gills in our suitcase and the zipper broke beyond repair, we were on our way to the airport and pulled into LL Bean and bought the LL Bean Adventure Duffle. AWESOME! We even had time for them to monogram it for us, ha ha… So now we both have a medium to carry on, note that it can’t be stuffed, but that’s nice, if it’s a little larger and you put stuff in it you can flatten it out to fit underneath the seat or in the overhead bin with ease. We also have the extra large duffle which is EXTRA LARGE… we don’t fill that too tight either and we haven’t gotten anywhere near our weight limit. Now… knowing that you have to carry this and not wheel it will make you pack a little lighter perhaps, but this is the ticket and we love it! AND if you want to add just a wee bit of weight you CAN get the Adventure duffle WITH WHEELS… Just wanted to share that with you!
Mary Whyte. Many of you have heard of her. She is utterly spectacular. The talent is scarely amazing. I’m not kidding. Every single painting is museum quality. To watch her paint is a real treat. Mary often participates in the outdoor paint out in Charleston held in November, where the artists donate the painting from the day and it’s auctioned for charity. Wonderful! Mary’s work is in Coleman Fine Art Gallery. If you’re in the area, it’s a beautiful gallery full of amazing talent, I highly encourage you to visit! Otherwise check her out on their website! Mary has also written books, has DVD’s and has illustrated some children’s books that are simply magical.
Some refer to this restaurant as Fast and French, others as G&M and the rest of you as Gaulart et Maliclet Cafe. It’s the cool little restaurant on Broad Street in Charleston where you see many of the locals as well as some visitors. It’s a great place to meet people. It has to do with the seating, there aren’t separate tables and chairs, there is a long bar area and a few shorter wider bars where you sit across from people. It’s perfect for dining alone, or meeting new people. You can always find someone interesting to talk to at G&M. Thursdays is fondue night, a popular night for many. I happen to love their cold cucumber soup especially on a hot summer day when anything heavier than that just doesn’t sound good. They have wonderful sandwiches among many other dishes at night. Great coffee and desserts too… check out their MENU.
Mellow Mushroom restaurant opened a few weeks ago in Charleston. More specifically, West Ashley/Avondale area, which is mighty convenient and within walking distance… woohoo! We treated ourselves to pizza for dinner last night and a spinach salad… it was too good! They did a great job renovating the space that started as the Ashley Theater, which opened 2/20/1950! They kept the overall theater feel, they removed the drop down ceilings that the shop before them had and now you see the gorgeous wood ceilings, they have the huge movie projector in the center like a piece of art, very cool. I have to say everyone was uuber friendly… there was a nice vibe to the restaurant, not to mention good pizza. So if pizza is sounding good to you head on over there!
I discovered Darrell Hill on Facebook. I have yet to see his work in person, but I think it’s simply AMAZING. I love his style, how he’s so different from everyone else. I am drawn to his color palette and I love how this painting “Outrigger Song” has that crisp clear look to it. I would absolutely LOVE to own a piece of his work one day, but for now I will read all the information that he shares. He is definitely a man who knows a lot about art. I saw some of his iPad drawings when he first got the iPad (if I’m not mistaken, the very day it debuted) and ohmygosh are they ever unbelievable! Talented beyond belief. We can’t wait to see his work in person one day!
A brilliant concept I do believe. Have you ever bought a pepper grinder and it works beautifully UNTIL you have to fill it up. Either it’s nearly impossible to refill or once you refill it things go haywire… and you’re stuck with a bunch of peppercorns and no way to grind. The inexpensive solution? The McCormick pepper grinder, use it then recycle it… you have control over how coarse you want the pepper to come out… we like them chef size; the big coarse grind where you really taste the pepper…
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