Artist to watch… FRANK GARDNER

"Ben" by artist Frank Gardner

 

Frank Gardner… many of you have heard his name.

 Great artist, and a nice guy.

You may be familiar with the story where we met Colin Page, an artist in a cottage down the street from the one we were renting in Port Clyde, Maine. Colin invited us to their cottage on the last day to see all the paintings and WOW! I’ll save that story for another post, let me just say… what a group of amazing talent. (Frank was part of the Paintapalooza group of artists, like I said… future post)!

I have spent a great deal of time trying to find the ONE painting to post… all I can say is I can’t pick just one… this painting “Ben” is exquisite, and there are many more so you need to go check out Frank’s website. He’s in several galleries (website has links) and even a local gallery here in Charleston, SC the M Gallery of Fine Art.

Take a peak and see which your favorite is…

Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

A big bold nice and not expensive wine…

mcmanisfamilyvineyards.com

We were in Rockland, Maine at a neat little wine shop (future post). We asked for a nice Syrah that wasn’t too pricey and they suggested McManis Petite Syrah. Whew… it quickly became a favorite… very tasty, not in the under $10 category which is nice for everyday, well, the one glass a day, you know, for medicinal reasons… wish it was more than one glass though, hee hee… Fast forward to a few weekends ago, we went to Total Wine hoping to find this a tad cheaper, they don’t carry the Petite Syrah, but they did have Syrah… well, I’ll try it! And… YIPEE, it’s great, and it’s in the under $10 category. You could tell me it is an expensive bottle of wine and I would never know the difference. So if you like bold wines (at least in my book it’s bold) give this one a shot!

From the McManis Family Vineyard website:
 2008 Syrah
“Do not overlook this incredibly reliable and tasty Syrah as a great choice for everyday drinking. It is ripe and open, about mid-size in depth and full enough on the palate to let you know that you have a wine of reasonable substance in your mouth, and it will comfortably hold its own with burgers and other savory picnic fare when a wine that will go down in a gulp is in order.”   86 Points Good Value
Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine March 2010

Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

Neat little shop in Charleston…

Image: http://southofmarket.biz/

What a beautiful weekend in Charleston, SC! WOW! We got out and went to a few shops. Fred noticed that South of Market, a neat little shop in Charleston, SC had those wonderful cotton canvas throws that we love so much… ON SALE! This is a neat shop, but you really need to pack the plastic… it’s not cheap, and I can’t remember there being many sales, but woohoo… we bought a red throw ON SALE!  (I know, not a color we EVER would have picked, but this is a GORGEOUS washed red. It looks like an old favorite throw that you’ve had for years and perhaps left in the sunroom part of the time. I LOVE WASHED RED… ) .

This photo is from their website http://southofmarket.biz/ … this is a great room, I love all those windows! So if you’re in the neighborhood, pop in to South of Market on King Street downtown, and while you’re there pop into the Sylvan Gallery which is also right there… GREAT GALLERY!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com Until tomorrow…

Artist to watch… KEN DEWAARD

KenDewaard.com

An artist friend of ours told us about an artist friend of his.

WHAT AWESOME WORK!

My husband surprised me last year with a painting and said that he was a great guy to deal with. Oh, what a GREAT surprise! I loved the panting and I LOVE IT WHEN ARTISTS ARE NICE! I don’t know about you, but if I really like the artist, I want to collect MORE of their work. I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying a painting from an artist who I didn’t admire or at the very least like…  I just really like Ken’s work, the colors, the light… ahhhh.

If you haven’t checked out Ken’s work, do so now! He’s got a great website (ugh, so frustrating when artists websites don’t get updated… BRAVO to those of you who do update regularly, it must be a real challenge to those of you who paint, blog and update websites! It is much appreciated, believe me)!  Check it out!

 http://www.kendewaard.com/

Until tomorrow… Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!

Baked Potato Soup with all the trimmings!

Sometimes when you’re chilly there is nothing like a nice hot bowl of soup to get your innards warmed up. Other than vacuuming, there really isn’t anything that is going to warm you up from the inside out!

This tasty soup is from Cooking Light, and although it uses lower fat ingredients, if no one told you there were lower fat ingredients, I promise you, you would never know. NEVER. KNOW. That’s part of what makes this such a good recipe. It’s a fairly quick soup to make after the potatoes are baked. Mmmm, this is looking too good right now!!

So, if you were sitting there thinking… Ugh, I’m in a rut and need to try something new but want it to be pretty healthy, hey, this is for you!

I use Cracker Barrel 2% Extra Sharp cheese, it’s great, and it’s my “go to” cheese for recipes. It’s in every grocery store in Charleston, but I know other areas don’t carry it (Algonac, MI, darnit!). Serving size is 1 1/2 cups and let me tell ya… you will be full! Especially after adding a sprinkle of shredded extra sharp cheese, some green onions and some crispy bacon… oh la la… I edited the recipe to show less flour, otherwise it was too thick for us.

BAKED POTATO SOUP  

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

  • 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (or 1 small bunch, whites cut off)
  • 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
  • Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
  • Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Bowen’s Island Restaurant – Charleston, SC

Image: BowensIslandRestaurant.com

For those of you who have eaten at Bowen’s Island Restaurant, you know… You know how utterly awesome the view is… it takes your breath away. Seriously. TAKES. IT. AWAY. The fried shrimp is oh so tasty and I absolutely just cannot wait to have some! Visitors soon (yay!) and we will be making our way to the place that great photos are made from… and it sure doesn’t hurt that the food is tasty too!

Good grief, I just did something I shouldn’t have. I looked at the menu! Their prices aren’t bad at all, and now I’m really wanting some of their fried shrimp… check out the menu… you’ll be running at the speed of light, jumping in your car, hearing a big peel out noise, wondering where it came from before you even realize you’re in your car, headed right where all the real seafood lovers go… and that aint Red Lobster… hee hee…

Read the restaurant review “Shucking and sucking” it’s more of a story, ha ha – Bowen’s Island is known for their oysters!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

Artist Charles Movalli, whoa!

Image: BayviewGallery.com

Bayview Gallery has a wonderful collection of Charles Movalli’s work. I think his colors are fresh. I am drawn to his pallette.  What can I say, some people love other stuff, we love art. LOVE. IT. Me, being the aspiring (ok, so that’s stretching it) artist that I am really appreciates OTHER peoples art. It facinates me how they make it happen. There is nothing I would rather do than to watch someone paint. You know why? IT’S LIKE MAGIC! I will watch and be “in the zone” and I’M NOT EVEN THE ONE PAINTING! Ha ha… I watch carefully and I think, I TOO CAN DO THIS… but then to try… whoa… another story indeed. I’m not saying I’m bad, I’m just not good, but I need to paint more often, so… Someone out there, give me an assignment. My biggest hangup is WHAT to paint? I keep trying to find something easy enough and I end up spending all my time searching for WHAT and then TADA… time to make dinner… I think I need to master painting indoors before I can move the great outdoors. So with that being said… any takers? hee hee.

If you’re in Maine and are in Camden or Brunswick, stop by Bayview Gallery! This is a little blip about artist Charles Movalli from the Bayview Gallery website:
Holder of a PhD. in English, Gloucester painter Charles Movalli uses dramatic brushwork to capture the essence of a scene. A student of Emille Gruppe, Movalli has received more than fifty awards for his vibrant work.
 
Visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Cookies for Valentine’s Day, a work of art!

Aren’t these the most beautiful Valentine’s Day cookies you’ve ever seen? I admit, I haven’t seen many cookies for this holiday, well, not if you exclude the mass produced variety at the grocery store…  These take a little bit of time, but ooooh, the result is A WORK OF ART! I last posted this recipe on my PHOTO BLOG (click for link) for Christmas cookies, but here it is again, I hope you give them a try! This time I made the dough on Friday, got busy on Saturday, then set them out on the counter for a little while on Sunday before rolling and cutting into heart shapes and baking. The decorating part looks like the most time consuming, but if you don’t get too uptight about it (me) and can just swirl it on (Fred, my husband) then it looks beautiful and is done in a snap! Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

VALENTINE’S DAY BUTTER COOKIES

Sift 2 3/4 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In mixer bowl add 3/4 cup soft butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Beat until fluffy and light. Slowly beat in flour mixture. CHILL ONE HOUR.

Flour your work surface and roll out dough. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

YIELD: 4 dozen (IF you don’t eat the dough… good luck to ya!)

FROSTING

Mix 1/4 cup butter, 4 cups (1 box) confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup scalded cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend until smooth. Scoop into separate bowls and add food coloring (hint: Valentine cookies are good just red, light pink and white). Scoop colored frosting into Ziplock bag (I use freezer) and snip a little off the corner. Squeeze onto cookie to decorate! If you need the frosting thinned a bit more, I have great luck just using light cream, add a little at a time until it will easily come out of the bag to decorate.

From the heart…

Cards do nothing for my husband, so he says. Me on the other hand… I LOVE cards… I have every one he’s ever given me (and NO I’m not a pack rat, really!). I saw this card and thought it was perfect! Our mornings are fabulous! We both are early risers, in the winter, we have a nice fire in the morning and enjoy a leisurly cup of coffee, read the paper, and chat. On the inside of this card it talks about how wonderful our mornings are, and nights are pretty fabulous too… not exact wording, but I didn’t want to copy…

Papyrus cards are top of the line… I love those cards. We have a Papyrus store in Charleston, but you can also buy them at Target and Whole Foods. I was good, I didn’t buy the card, because really it would be for ME, ha ha… instead I will creatively MAKE a card. Yep. MAKE. A. CARD. It will be from the heart and totally awesome, I hope!

Here’s wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Eve! Until tomorrow!

Image via: http://www.papyrusonline.com/

Whoa, a thing of beauty… an apple or…

Image: apple.com

Whoa, a thing of beauty, eh? So many decisions to be made… Mac or Dell? Desktop or laptop? Ok, I’m waiting to hear from those of you out there who have experienced both… which do you prefer? We have had a Dell for a very long time, like forever. I love Dell… my curiosity has gotten the best of me and I, like half of America has been pulled into the great marketing and awesome looks of the Apple products. When we get a computer we like to get one that lasts. Good question for y’all: Does a laptop last as long as a desktop? Or not usually? Other than the convenience factor of a laptop, what are the pluses? Minuses? I’m thinking it would do my brain good to learn something entirely new… I’ve got the iPad mastered, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a stretch to get an Apple computer? I have always had a desktop, I’m comfortable with them, they aren’t portable (are they? ha ha) . I’m like a sponge just wanting to absorb some information, so if you have it… and you have a moment, please share your thoughts!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com if you get a chance! Until tomorrow…

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie… oh my!

This is a Cooking Light recipe, and it’s TO. DIE. FOR. I’m not kidding you! My husband says “It’s so good it’ll make your tongue beat your brains out!” or something like that. I have to admit, I haven’t heard that saying before, the images that flash before my eyes give me the willies, BUT, it’s a GOOD thing… means it’s soooo gooood!

Oh yeah, the BLACK BOTTOM BANANA CREAM PIE (click on that for direct link to My Recipes where it’s easily printed) is delish! It’s not difficult, bake a pie crust, melt some chocolate, make the banana cream custard filling, slap the sliced bananas on top of the chocolate, smear on the custard, then they top with “whipped topping” EEEEK, which just doesn’t happen to be in my vocabulary. Instead mine isn’t pretty until served, I make whipped cream or if in a time pinch use the canned REAL whipped cream, then using a microplane shred a little chocolate on top and whoooaaaa! Have you got yourself a masterpiece! But don’t take my word for it. Really. Ohhhh, please tell me I didn’t toss those overripe bananas!

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients:

  • (9-inch) Pastry Crust
  • 3  tablespoons  cornstarch, divided
  • 2  tablespoons  sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 1/3  cups  1% low-fat milk, divided
  • 1  ounce  semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2  cup  sugar
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1  tablespoon  stick margarine or butter
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 2  ounces  block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
  • 2  cups  sliced ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
  • 1 1/2  cups  frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
  • Chocolate curls (optional)

Preparation

Prepare and bake Pastry Crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sugar, cocoa, and dash of salt in a small, heavy saucepan; gradually add 1/3 cup milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in chocolate; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spread chocolate mixture into bottom of prepared crust.

Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, eggs, 1 cup milk, and margarine in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook 30 seconds or until thick. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat cream cheese until light (about 30 seconds). Add 1/4 cup hot custard to cream cheese, and beat just until blended. Stir in remaining custard.

Arrange banana slices on top of chocolate layer; spoon custard over bananas. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard; chill 4 hours. Remove plastic wrap. Spread whipped topping evenly over custard. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

315 (29% from fat)
Fat:
10.1g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.4g,poly 2.4g)
Protein:
6.9g
Carbohydrate:
49.6g
Fiber:
1.6g
Cholesterol:
58mg
Iron:
1.4mg
Sodium:
253mg
Calcium:
94mg

Greg Patent, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1998

Visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Image via www.myrecipes.com – Becky Luigart-Stayner

Paintapalooza Artist: Jeff Bonasia

Image: Addisonart.com

YOU GONNA EAT THOSE FRIES? I would say this painting is aptly named, wouldn’t you? I simply love the light on this birds belly, it’s stoic look and how it’s really looking right at you. Kind of Wyeth’ish, don’t you think?

This doesn’t appear to be what he normally paints, but it just has so much character!
 
Years ago when vacationing in Maine we had rented a cottage. Down the street from our cottage was a large group of painters from all over the country. Real artists, the ones who do it all the time and are so good at it. The paintapalooza story is for another post, but it was a great group of talented guys.  Jeff Bonasia was one of the talented artists that week. He shows in several galleries, click on his name for a link to his website. This photo is from Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
 
If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at:
 
Until tomorrow…

Always trust your source…

Image: cookinglight.com

Always trust your source! Especially when looking for a recipe online. There are many websites and blogs out in the cyber world, but when it comes to throwing costly ingredients together and having it turn into something fabulous, TRUST YOUR SOURCE. I have been a subscriber to Cooking Light magazine since the mid 90’s. It has changed over the years, but it has always been a great magazine FULL of fabulous recipes.

I read mine, fold down the pages of the recipes I like, then I go online to MYRECIPES.com where I pull up the recipe and save it to my “recipe box”online. That way I can pull up a favorite recipe no matter where I am, a big plus for sure! Then I can pass the magazine on to a neighbor. You can also subscribe to their daily email which sends you a meal suggestion each day as well as a host of other emails targeted specifically to one type of food. This is done through MyRecipes.com, which has the recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living and a host of other popular magazines.
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Cooking Light, I urge you to do so, or look at it at the library! Trust me, you’ll be copying down recipes like nobody’s business! It pays to subscribe, it’s much cheaper that way.
Remember to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – Until tomorrow…

Classy lighting… Circa…

Image via circa.com

One thing that can make or break a room is good lighting… Just my opinion. If you have nothing but bright light it gives the room a cold sterile feeling, if all the lighting is dim, it looks pretty at night but its difficult to see. All overhead lighting isn’t my thing, but if the light is on a dimmer it can work. We don’t have a huge house. We don’t have a table near every chair. We have lots of places to sit, but you can’t see well enough to read, knit, etc. in every seat. We think we’ve found a solution… Remember (well, maybe you don’t but I DO), those tension floor lamps that went to the ceiling, with lights hanging off of it? You could turn on one or all one, I think back in the 1960’s (wow, sounds like I came over on the Mayflower, doesn’t it?) ours had three lights. They’ve made a comeback (or perhaps they never left?), in a new sleek style. This image is of the ZIYI TENSION POLE LAMP. We are fortunate to have a Circa Lighting in Charleston! We can walk in and touch and feel and actually SEE what the lighting looks like and whether or not it would work at our house. This is on our list one day. Not sure where we would put it, so far we have many possibilities…

If you ever get a chance to check out Circa Lighting, do so! We always deal with Matthew and he is a pleasure! It’s so nice to talk to people so knowledgable about what they sell!
Their website is a good one! Go to www.circalighting.com to view all their lighting, they ship for FREE! You can’t beat that with a stick!
Don’t forget to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!