Pots & Dishes

Eva Zeisel ceramic artist and designer dies at 105

2012-01-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorite pieces.

Kashi Meatloaf

2011-12-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy with how this meatloaf came out. I bought this box of Kashi 7 whole grain Pilaf a while back and loved it. I thought it would make a great stuffing or addition to a meatloaf. I made this meatloaf without the use of one formal recipe, but I did do a quick google search just to get ideas on ingredients and combinations.

I decided to go with a mix of ground turkey and beef. I added all the classic meatloaf ingredients like finely chopped carrots, onions, shallots, tomato paste and garlic. I seasoned with sea salt, coarse black pepper, fresh thyme, sage and spikes salt free seasoning. I love spikes. It's a good all purpose savory seasoning.

Here's a close up of the grains.

What's the yellow side dish in the top photo? Oh that my root veggie mash. It's a combo of Japanese sweet potato, golden beets, and russet potatoes. I love the color and it taste like regular mash potatoes but just a little sweet.

Cleansing Soup

2011-11-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

This was yesterday's dinner.

I've had a serious craving for this type of noodle soup with a cleansing broth. I added shitake mushrooms, scallions, miso paste, lite soy sauce and just a little bit of sesame oil and ume plum vinegar.

I'm really happy with how my soup and photo's turned out. The bowls in the photo is one of my favorite handmade bowls I made for myself. It's such a great shape for a hearty soup. It's about 8 years old.

Ceramic Artist I Heart!

2011-11-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

Sanam Emami

I love her use of layers!

Steven Roberts

Sweet glaze combination!

Valerie Zimany

I like this highly decorated surface.

Freeze dried ice cream and an a ugly handmade sweater.

2011-11-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

As promised I wanted to at least share a few pictures from the Makers Fair which took place in NYC. This is me posing with the ugliest handcrafted sweater. It kind of reminds me of the christmas sweaters my mom would buy for me as a kid. I actually loved wearing them until I got about 11. My mom would sometimes buy 3 of the same sweater for my sisters and I. I loved the hanging pom pom and the felted lettering. It made me feel even more special and festive during the holidays. I do agree that the above sweater is over top and beyond Quacker Factory.

I bought some freeze dried Chocolate Ice Cream for fun at the fair. It tasted good but since it wasn't cold it tasted more like some sort of meringue cookie.

This experience did make me remember time my sister and I went on a bus trip to Woodbury commons shopping outlet with my mom (maybe in the early 90's). It was a real hot day and there was a vendor selling something called "ice cream of the future" We thought it was some kind of a joke but we really wanted to try it. My mom bought us some and I loved it. They are now called Dipping Dots and you can find them in supermarkets and museum cafes etc.. I haven't had any since that day but I remember the feeling of eating something that is familiar with just a different texture and loving it.

Off to the Maker's Faire NYC

2011-09-17T10:28:00.001-04:00

This year I'll remember to bring my camera :-) Maybe I might win something like I did last year. I got this great book free.

If A Tree Falls

2011-09-15T11:55:00.000-04:00

I watched this documentary tuesday night on pbs. It left such an impact on me it was hard to sleep that night. I'm still thinking about it.

Did anyone watch it ? I'm curious to what others thought. Here some video of parts of the movie, also read NY Times movie review for If A Tree Falls.

Back from Maine

2011-09-05T12:37:00.000-04:00

I made it back right before last weeks big storm, which I'm very thankful for. It was so beautiful in Maine. I had such a nice time. I'll tell you more about my trip and show some more pictures later. I'm still adjusting to my Brooklyn life.

Since I been back, I'm trying to get in the habit of reading the bible every morning. When I read first thing in the morning it help's me set a good out look for the day. (I really need that.) This scripture stood out to me today. This text is from a letter Paul wrote to the Philippians. "For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need , and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" That is a very powerful statement. I love that! Paul continues on read Philippians 4 :12-13 for the full text. I kind of feel like that.

Also check out this post I wrote for Society Hae on Radishes
Happy Labor Day!

Moist Banana Coconut Lime Cake

2011-08-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile since my last post. I've been spending my free time just cleaning up my apt, organizing, and thinking. I got some good books from the library, so I've been reading and taking a well needed computer break. The weather cooled down a bit last night so it was a perfect opportunity to bake!

I love coconut and I 'm currently on a coconut kick. This recipe uses coconut in four forms, but it not over powering. The crumb is wonderful, the inside is moist and flavor is so yummy. Coconut with lime is a wonderful pair. The banana flavor is light and just adds extra sweetness and moisture. One of the books I've been reading is The Coconut Oil Miracle (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of Coconut Oil). I now only use coconut oil to cook with. That still doesn't mean I make fried foods with it everyday. Like my pastor once said "Anything taken to the extreme is error". I use it just like I would use any other oil sparingly. I still love my olive and walnut oil I just will not heat them it up. The book is a good read, go check it out but first try this recipe. You will be in love with coconut too!

Banana Coconut Lime Cake

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 raw cane sugar
1/2 palm sugar
2/3 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs
1 ripe banana
1/2 coconut cream
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lime oil

How to make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking pan.
Mix palm / cane sugars and shredded coconut in a large bowl. Sift in flour and baking powder to sugar and coconut mixture.
In a separated bowl beat eggs, oil, banana, coconut cream, water, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
Stir into dry ingredients, mixing until combined add more warm water if needed. (batter should thick but loose). Add lime oil.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown.

Eat for breakfast or instead of a biscuit or cornbread for dinner. yum!

Chop Chop Salad

2011-07-21T15:34:00.000-04:00

It's just way too hot to do anything today in NYC. This salad is however pretty fun to make and eat in this heat. All you need is a good knife, fruits, veggies and some imagination.

I added chopped

Cucumbers
Red and Yellow Sweet Bell Peppers
Grape Tomatoes
Radishes
Endive
Carrots with Top Greens
Baby Romaine Lettuce
Watercress
Grapes ( I added them whole because I love the burst of sweetness!)

For the dressing I made a simple vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and olive oil. I would eat this with some grilled chicken but I'm too lazy to turn on the stove.

Stay Cool!

Teff Pancakes with Strawberries and Figs

2011-07-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know I love Teff flour. I especially love to add it to pancakes and waffles. I made these pancakes thinner than normal, almost to make it crepe like. I wanted to make something in between. I wanted to be able to rip off a piece of pancake with my fingers and stuff it with pieces of chopped strawberries.

I was really excited to see fresh figs in the supermarket so had to pick up a carton. This was a great breakfast/ lunch.

If you would like to make this use my Teff Sourdough waffles recipe you don't even have to use the flax eggs or oil. If you don't have a starter just follow a basic pancake recipe and add a little teff flour instead of the regular flour. Enjoy!

Paneer with Sauteed Bell Peppers

2011-07-12T23:26:00.001-04:00

I love Indian food and I'm currently on a quest to re-create some of my favorite Indian dishes. This recipe is from Chef Geetika Khanna founder of the Indian Culinary Center in New York City. This Indian vegetarian dish is simple to make and very tasty. You can make the paneer yourself at home which is super easy or buy it already made.

Here's Geetika's recipe I used to make this dish. I served the paneer and bell peppers with homemade chapati (a simple grilled Indian flat bread).

Which color plate do you like best? I been thinking of making some black glazed plates but I'm not sure. I love how the food just pops on that black plate. What do you think?

Props: Other Art Projects

2011-07-11T23:15:00.002-04:00

Every now and then, (especially in the summer) I work on a project for my mom's church.

This time she ask me to make a post office box and a fire hydrant for their children's vacation bible school. The theme has to do with neighborhoods. I forgot to take a picture of the fire hydrant before giving it in. I made them both out of paper machie. Paper machie is great because you can make very large sculptures using recycled material which is cheap and light weight.

I had pretty much a week to complete this project so I had to work super fast to make them both. There was no time for blogging last week but now I have a lot to share. Mostly food stuff! I'm really into making Indian inspired food and bread. I'm kind of taking my time with my ceramics and just enjoying working and experimenting so that's why I haven't posted about my ceramic work or updated my etsy shop. I should have pics of new ceramic work soon.

New Amsterdam Market

2011-06-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love food markets. NYC has a brunch of these specialty food markets popping up all over the place. I'm also a food blogger for Society HAE and I was asked to cover this special little market located at the old Fulton Fish Market. Wanna see what I bought from the market. Check out this blog post I wrote for Society HAE.

Soul Daddy Restaurant NYC closed! Already

2011-06-28T07:45:00.000-04:00

I'm very disappointed. Look at the note I found on the door. I can't believe it. The food was so good! I only got to eat there once. See post on my first and last visit to Soul Daddy. There's too many Chipotle restaurants in NYC can we get rid of one of those and bring back Soul Daddy!

Quick Potato Pancakes

2011-06-27T10:08:00.001-04:00

What can you make with a couple of small yukon gold potatoes, half an onion, one small clove of garlic and ten minutes. Potato Pancakes! I don't use any recipe, I just kind of wing it. I also added like a tablespoon of flour to hold the grated mix together. I seasoned the mix with sea salt, black pepper and my favorite spices tumeric and smoked paprika. I threw in a few leaves from my thyme plant (which is doing well). Shaped then cooked the pancakes in coconut oil. Let brown and serve! yum

The handmade plate is one that I made about 8 years. It's cool to see how my style has change over the years. I still love it. I want to make some more of the purple glaze. It's really pretty with the blue in this photo.

Oh No!

2011-06-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

I had my heart set on making chappati today. Chappati is an Indian style grilled flat bread also called roti in other cultures I went to a store on 28th st. which will remain nameless to buy chapati flour and a tawa (a flat pan). When I got home to start making the bread. The bag of flour had what my mom calls "weevils" which are little black bugs. Damn it!
The chappati flour only cost me 5 bucks plus subway fare but still. Well that's not all. I was not going to let those weevils win, I was going to make bread away. When I have my heart set on something it's really hard for me to shake it. Plus there was only a few weevils so I decided to just sift them out but when I did that I discovered alive and dead white worms, a mung bean and a moth flew out the bag and was flying around my apt. ok I will not be making bread today. The weevils wins! I thought briefly about taking a photo of the bugs and the mess I made in the kitchen but I was too upset, disgusted and mainly disappointed. I'm going to travel to Jackson Height Queens tommorow to shop at Patel Brothers a popular Indian supermarket. I have never been there, but heard good things about it. I'll let you know how that goes.

One of my favorite songs

2011-06-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

Massaged Kale Salad with Mango and Sunflower Seeds

2011-06-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

I have been following the lovely Aarti Sequeira food blog. I love her videos and recipes. This is one of my favorite recipes from her blog. Watch her video for this dish here. I used sunflower seeds only because I was out of pumpkin seeds. I have made this dish before using toasted pumpkins seeds and I loved it. I have a huge bag of raw sunflower seeds from my winter granola making kick. I really need to use it up so I'm kind of adding it to everything.

Anybody have sunflower seeds recipe recommendations or ideas?

Simple Summer Salad Suppers

2011-06-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

I used to not believe eating salad for dinner or even lunch for that matter would be filling. I was wrong, my view of salad was all wrong. I only saw lettuce and and tomato as a side dish. My mind and taste buds open up over the years from reading cookbooks, taking cooking classes and just experimenting. I also started shopping at farmers markets, gourmet specialty stores and food markets in other ethnic neighborhoods which open me up to a wider variety of produce.

Radicchio Feta Salad

Ingredients: Chopped Radicchio, Sliced Cucumbers, Greek Feta, Pecans and Baby Mixed Greens.

Dressing: Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar

My Re- definition of "Salad"

Here's a few ingredients I like to mix and match to create yummy and filling summer dinners.

Fruits

watermelon

mango

grapes

apples

Nuts

pecans

almonds

walnuts

Seeds

pumpkin

sunflower

sesame

flax

Grain

quinoa

millet

barley

wheat berries

wild rice

Vegetable

tomatoes

cabbage

carrots

radishes

endive

arugula

romaine lettuce

radicchio

red leaf lettuce

watercress

spinach

kale

What your favorite quick salad supper combination?

Inspiration: Cute Concrete Vessels

2011-06-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

You know I love dots!

I love this color combo

I can't get enough of patterns.

concrete ware by Impure Vessels

Etsy Craft Party 2011 @ Etsy Labs Dumbo

2011-06-13T10:19:00.000-04:00

All I can say is there was a huge turn out at this event. I got there really late around 8:30. The place was jam pack so I just stayed for like 10 minutes. I knew waiting on line to do printing project would be hopeless.

Here's a pic of the collage table.

Inspiration: Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2011-06-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

I love this pouring bowl pattern design!

So much beautiful Jewelry. I love these earrings and necklace.

I went early so it wasn't that crowded yet!

I love the view from the second floor. There's a special pottery exhibition called Poetry In Clay that is worth seeing. It's a very small exhibition that showcases Korean Buncheong Ceramics.

Stay cool and enjoy your Friday!

Earl Grey Kulfi Popsicles

2011-06-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

This looks so yummy. I love the flavor of earl grey tea. I wonder if I can try this with coconut milk and bananas. I know it wouldn't be the same texture but still good.

Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip

2011-06-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

Smorgasburg-Handcrafted Food Market NYC

2011-05-31T21:07:00.000-04:00

Here's some pictures I took at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg Brooklyn this past weekend. This was the best doughnut I have ever had and I bought it from Dough. Their doughnuts are amazing! They are huge, very light, fresh, not to sweet and they make a wide variety of flavors. They have taken doughnuts to a whole new level of artistry. This is a real special treat doughnut!

Watch the video to see how they make the doughnuts.

DOUGH's Donuts in Brooklyn

What Makes You Happy?

2011-05-26T22:23:00.001-04:00

Food shopping makes me happy. Even as a kid I loved going food shopping with my mom. I would remind her that we had coupons for lucky charms cereal my favorite at the time. I also knew not to ask for an item that was not on sale because my chances of my mom saying yes to such item was slim to none.

Beautifully stacked peanut butter.

My favorite Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream on sale and only one left. I resisted the temptation and impulse purchase because I vowed only to savor that treat for very special occasions.

Even the cleaning aisle makes me happy. I love the colors, patterns and the different shapes of the bottles. I know it sounds crazy but you have to look for the beauty in everyday.

I had a pretty tough day today and I just decided to stop by the supermarket to pick up some items I needed for dinner and while shopping for food I forget all about the stuff that was bothering me.

What makes you happy?

Gilt Taste: New Online luxury Food Market for Foodies

2011-05-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

John & Kira Drunken Chocolate Fig $49

Le Sanctuaire Spice Blend Set $42

I would mind trying these goodies! I like the bowls too!

Jennifer Allen Ceramics

2011-05-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

I love Jennifer Allen ceramic work. I really love her new glaze colors and patterns.

I have been following her work for about 4 years now and I love where it's going. I want this bowl set for serving chocolate ice cream.

Lovely teapot! The caramel glaze looks amazing! Yum

Soul Daddy Restaurant Review!

2011-05-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

I finally got a chance to chow down at "The America's Next Great Restaurant" winner Jamawn Woods new restaurant Soul Daddy in NYC. The restaurant is located in a prime location in the South Street Seaport. Soul Daddy serves a healthier and lighter take on traditional soul food.

No fried chicken here! I ordered the bake chicken meal for $8.95 which comes with 2 sides and a choice of a Whole Wheat Biscuit or a Corn Bread Waffle. I had them both and they were excellent. The biscuit was light and flaky. The waffle was moist and I could taste a hint of buttermilk. For the sides I choose Cheese Grits and Braised Kale. My dinner date got wild rice salad with a mix green salad.

For vegetarians $7.95 gets you a plate of four side dishes.

The food was great and the potion size as you can see is pretty good. The quality of the was great and I hope it stays that way. Everything tasted freshly made. The bake chicken was divine and season to perfection, I thought. Damn that was good chicken. I can't wait till Soul Daddy's menu is developed a little more, to include light desserts choices like a peach cobbler, fruit crumble or sweet potato tart.

The atmosphere was very clean and modern. It was cozy. It has a similar feel to me as Shake Shack. I would definitely choose to eat at Soul Daddy again. If your in the NYC area go spend a day at the South Street Seaport. Eat at Soul Daddy Restaurant and let me know what you think. Lets support Jamawn Woods dream of having America's Next Great Restaurant.

Mushrooms That Really Taste Like Bacon!

2011-05-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

No lie, I'm not kidding. When I saw a you tube video on making shittake mushrooms taste like bacon. I had to try it for myself because I was not convinced.

Well, After trying the recipe myself. I can tell you guys it is True! Shiitake mushrooms can really taste like bacon. I'm mean real bacon. Pork! I was blown away. I see adding this to bake potatoes, salads, eggs, tofu there are so much possibilities and it's pretty simple to make. Watch the video here.

Here's a before photo.

Maya Angelou New Cookbook!

2011-05-18T09:00:00.003-04:00

Poet, novelist, educator, historian, producer, actress, filmmaker, civil rights activist and now cookbook author Maya Angelou is truly a phenomenal women.

I got a chance to meet Dr. Maya Angelou at her Union Square Barnes and Nobles book signing in New York. I was honored to have her shake my hand and autograph my copy of her new cookbook.

Dr. Maya Angelou has such a wonderful presence, she really spent time talking to everybody. I wish I could have took a photo with her but that wasn't allowed. I know will enjoy her new cookbook which is a mix of savory multicultural recipes which includes Chicken Tetrazzini, Swedish Hash and Warm Garden Salad to name a few. I'm happy to add this cookbook to my collection.

Sunday Dish: Paella

2011-05-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

I love rice dishes! My sister and I cooked up this huge pot of Paella to feed a small gathering of very hungry people. Our version is inspired from Chef Daisy Martinez recipe. If you never made Paella this is a great recipe to start with.

Ceramic Pouring Bowl Featured In Etsy Treasury

2011-05-11T00:04:00.000-04:00

Check out this beautiful Breakfast Wedding Plan treasury featuring my wheel thrown pouring bowl by Dual Chocolate.

I heart Nature Design

2011-05-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

and this

from Nature Design

Mother's Day Gift Box Giveaway!

2011-05-06T22:58:00.000-04:00

I'm participating in a giveaway in honor of Mother's Day. Enter to win one of two great handmade gift boxes!! Details Here. Good luck and Happy Mother's Day.

Anybody planning a special dinner from Mother's Day, If so what are you making?

How to make shiitake mushrooms taste like bacon!

2011-05-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

I have to try this as soon as possible! I might be heading to the store after writing this post. Mushrooms tasting like bacon no way! Shiitake mushrooms are my favorite mushrooms to eat. I usually saute them with others veggies or add it to an omelet for breakfast. Who would have thought baking them would make them taste like bacon. I have to taste it to believe it. Anybody already tried this recipe let me know what you think.

Food Product Discoveries: Spicy Hot Cocoa

2011-05-03T10:04:00.001-04:00

I picked this Hot Cocoa mix up about a week ago. I could drink this hot cocoa in the morning to wake up or at night to wind down. I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods because my stomach is a bit sensitive but this cocoa I feel is just right. You can find this Spicy Hot Cocoa mix in Health food stores like Wholefoods. Amazon has it too or get it direct for Equal Exchange and while your at it buy some fair trade chocolate. I love their little bars.

Making your own Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix is another option.

Soul Daddy Wins!

2011-05-02T22:23:00.003-04:00

I've been following America Next Great Restaurant since the first episode. This food show was a great concept and I enjoyed watching it. I had hopes for Sinners and Saints, Harvest Sol and Soul Daddy. I also loved Spice Coast and Joey of the Brooklyn Meatball Company too. Last night Soul Daddy was announced the winner!! Soul Daddy will have a restaurant in NYC which I can't wait to support. It opened today in the South Street Seaport. I couldn't wait to check out the menu online to plan what I'm going to order. I was surprised that he was not serving any fried chicken. I like that he has healthier options like baked chicken. I would have loved to treat myself to a piece fried chicken because I don't make this for myself, I hope they change that soon. When I think of soul food I do think of fried chicken. Fried chicken is definitely a food you don't eat everyday but is fun to have really good piece of fried chicken every once in a while. I love my moms fried chicken. Growing up she would make fried chicken seasoned with black pepper and paprika for bus trips, picnics, traveling and sometimes on the weekends.

Back to Soul Daddy's Menu:

I'm interested in tasting the Black-Eye Pea Salad, Sweet Potato Salad, Collard Greens, Cheese Grits and I guess I will get the baked chicken. I'm really disappointed that there's no fried chicken on the menu and no desserts either. He also has cornbread waffles and whole wheat biscuits. I'm curious to what's in the vegetarian plate, maybe just sides?

I want Soul Daddy to be a great success. I hope through time the menu could develop more. I will try to go there this weekend so I hope to do a show and tell.

Spring: The Season For Rhubarb.

2011-04-28T17:34:00.001-04:00

Spring is the time to get field grown rhubarb aka Pie Plant! Rhubarb is a vegetable that looks a lot like celery. I have eaten rhubarb chutney before but I never cooked with it myself, so I 'm a rhubarb newbie. I had no idea how to choose rhubarb, some have a deep red color others are pink with green. I choose mainly the deep red color ones, simply because they look good.

Since this was my first time cooking with rhubarb, I wanted to taste it raw and cooked without adding any other complimentary fruits like strawberries. Rhubarb is very tart and kind of sour in its raw and cooked form. It has to be sweeten and it's a good idea to pair rhubarb with spices like cinnamon or ginger. I ended up making a simple rhubarb crepe filling using this recipe that I adapted. It came out really well. I just couldn't wait to eat them after making the filling and the crepes, I didn't do any photography. I was just so hungry I devoured them sorry! I did however feel guilty so I manage to take one blurry photo in mid bite.

(To Peel or Not to Peel Rhubarb: I learned that rhubarb doesn't need to be peeled and it's actually discouraged. Even through when slicing it the outer layer seems to naturally come off. )

Rhubarb Recipes:

Sweet

Savory

Go get some Rhubarb and cook it for your family, friends and or roommates. It's a good thing to do!

Multi Grain Sourdough Crackers Experiment

2011-04-27T10:16:00.000-04:00

I have been really wanting to make my own whole grain crackers. I love the taste of sourdough and I have been searching for a cracker recipe using sourdough. Since I couldn't find a recipe I like. I decided to do a quick experiment.

I just made a wet dough using levain starter, teff flour , wheat flour, olive oil, sea salt and water. I top the crackers with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds and oats. Overall it came out well. The flavor is good but the texture needs work. One of my favorite crackers are from Wasa. I like the crispness and texture of those crackers. I will continue perfecting this. Surprisingly I'm almost there. To be continued....

Have a great day everyone!

Amazing Almond Cookies

2011-04-25T08:38:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone
I took a week off of writing and cooking during holy week. I really missed writing but I have now so many new food ideas. Taking a week off from cooking and blogging really showed me how much I truly love food. Yes I love to eat, but its more than that. It's another creative art form for me. I decided to make something rich, sweet and wholesome for dessert.

This recipe was adapted from Myra Waldo's Chinese Cookbook. This book was given to me by my friend Diana of Confession Of A Craftaholic several years ago. This is the first recipe that I have made from this cookbook. I've changed a few things in the recipe and its a winner. It's simple, gluten free and made with just 5 ingredients. Please try it! If you don't have palm sugar use raw sugar. I love palm sugar and it worth giving it a try. I also felt that these cookies needed a little something so I decided to drizzle them with melted chocolate. This is of course optional but it definitely makes a prettier and great tasting wholesome cookie.

Almond Cookies

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/2 cup Palm Sugar

2 cups Finely Ground Blanched Almonds + some whole almonds for the tops.

6 tablespoons Soft Butter

1 tablespoon Ice Water

(Optional Semi Sweet Chocolate)

Sift the brown rice flour and palm sugar into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds. Work in the butter by hand. Mix in the ice water. Break off pieces of dough about the size of a tablespoon and form into small round shapes. Arrange on parchment paper at 1 inch intervals. Flatten balls slightly and put an almond in the center of each. Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes, or until delicately browned. Let cookies cool and drizzle with melted chocolate. yum!

Goat Cheese and Shiitake Mushroom Pizza

2011-04-16T18:27:00.000-04:00

Instead of baking sourdough bread today I made a pizza instead. (What a good way to spend this rainy Saturday. )

I had some tomatoes that were on the verge of getting soft so I slice them up and threw them in. I bought small package of goat cheese and mozzarella. I also had lots of fresh basil which was perfect. I didn't forget to add some thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms.

I couldn't leave out this artful detailed shot.

I wish everyone a great weekend.

Shiitake Mushrooms

2011-04-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

I thought I would never say this, but I love mushrooms. I have been adding Shiitake Mushrooms to most of my meals. I like the texture and taste which is not over powering.
Shiitake Mushrooms are an excellent source of selenium. They are a very good source of iron, protein, dietary fiber and vitamin c.

Do you like Mushrooms? and if so which ones?
Here's a good resource on Shiitake Mushrooms for those of you who would love to learn more about them.
Here's some Shiitake Mushrooms Recipes Ideas.

Building Houses Out Of Chicken Legs

2011-04-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

Snowdrift Shortening advertisement, Ladies Home Journal

I pick up a copy of the book Building Houses Out Of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food and Power by Psyche A. Williams-Forson an Associate Professor and co-Director of graduate studies at The University of Maryland.

From the book jacket:
Chicken–both the bird and the food–has played multiple roles in the lives of African American women from the slavery era to the present. It has provided food and a source of income for their families, shaped a distinctive culture, and helped women define and exert themselves in racist and hostile environments. Psyche A. Williams-Forson examines the complexity of black women’s legacies using food as a form of cultural work. While acknowledging the negative interpretations of black culture associated with chicken imagery, Williams-Forson focuses her analysis on the ways black women have forged their own self-definitions and relationships to the “gospel bird.”Exploring material ranging from personal interviews to the comedy of Chris Rock, from commercial advertisements to the art of Kara Walker, and from cookbooks to literature, Williams-Forson considers how black women arrive at degrees of self-definition and self-reliance using certain foods. She demonstrates how they defy conventional representations of blackness in relationship to these foods and exercise influence through food preparation and distribution.

Understanding these phenomena clarifies how present interpretations of blacks and chicken are rooted in a past that is fraught with both racism and agency. The traditions and practices of feminism, Williams-Forson argues, are inherent in the foods women prepare and serve.

Read New York Times Review.

Portobello Pizza Recipe

2011-04-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't always been a fan eating mushrooms. I love the diversity in shapes and sizes, but looking at a mushroom doesn't make me hungry. I would rather study and sketch them. Right now I'm more open to eating mushrooms especially if there are health benefits to consuming mushrooms. I don't mine the texture of Portobello Mushroom especially when served grilled. My new favorite mushroom is shiitake but that's another blog post. I have been adding shiitake mushrooms to almost everything I eat. This morning I will saute chopped shiitake mushrooms with spinach to make an egg white omelette.

Portobello Pizza

2 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup non fat ricotta cheese
4 slices of a small tomato
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
6 tablespoons fresh mozzarella cheese ( I did add a little more cheese than this in photo)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup frozen or fresh spinach
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Clean the mushrooms and remove the stem. Place the mushrooms top down on a nonstick baking sheet, and spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta across each mushroom. Add tomato, garlic and spinach, then top with mozzarella and basil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned. Season with sea salt and black peeper.

Enjoy!

Kimbap

2011-04-07T11:02:00.001-04:00

One of my ceramic teachers brought this beautiful kimbap he made to our studio anniversary party. I really couldn't stop eating them. They tasted even better than they looked. The combination of spinach, carrots, egg, crab sticks and pickled ginger was so yummy. I'm not sure what the square translucent veggie is? but it was sort of sweet and crunchy. I bought the left over kimbap home to photograph and devour!

I looked to You Tube to find out how to make Kimbap. I learned that there are so many types of kimbap.

There are so many great videos out there. Here's are a few I like.

More Kimbap Resources:

Handmade Spring Baskets

2011-04-06T09:13:00.000-04:00

I just finished glazing these spring baskets. I can't wait to see them all done. I think they would look so pretty filled with all sorts of flowers. What I really love about spring is growing fresh flowers outside and bringing them home to enjoy.

Have a Great Day everyone! :-)

New Duo Dishes Pizza Video

2011-04-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

Foodie Ceramic Magnets

2011-04-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

New in my etsy shop. Go take a look!

Beautiful Ceramics by Gwendolyn Yoppolo

2011-04-03T18:56:00.000-04:00

Visit Gwendolyn Yoppolo

How to Make Your Own Granola

2011-04-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Check out this post I wrote for Society HAE

The Fat Resistance Diet: Top Superfoods

2011-04-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

I have to be honest, I haven't been following the recipes in the book (The Fat Resistance Diet) word for word. I learned it's really hard to start anything new during tax time. I've incorporated the Slim Chai Tea which I drink every morning before breakfast. The Slim Chai Tea is made using green tea, whole cloves, cinnamon and cardamon pods. I have just been creating meals that have ingredients on the top 40 superfood list provided in the book. I've been using the recipe in the book as a guide but I think next week I will try to stick to the detailed menu outlined in the book.

I made Roasted Brussel Sprouts last night with sea salt and olive oil. I ate the brussel sprouts with a turkey sausage with is not on in the fat resistance program at least for stage one.

Here a list of some of the Top Super Foods listed in the book:

Beverages

Blueberry Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Green Tea

Nuts and seeds (unsalted, not roasted)

Almonds
Walnuts
Flaxseeds

Vegetables

Bell peppers
Cabbage
Leeks
Shiitake mushrooms
Scallions
Onions
Spinach

Herbs

Ginger
Garlic
Cinnamon
Tumeric
Cardamom
Basil
Black Pepper

Fish

Salmon
Flounder

Other

Egg whites
Yogurt (plain, non-fat)

Ugli but good

2011-03-31T11:01:00.000-04:00

Yeah, You do look ugli but taste great.

About Ugli Fruit:

This Citrus fruit is from Jamaica. It's a hybrid of a pomelo (chinese grapefruit) an orange and a tangerine.

This fruit has a thick skin and the flesh is very juicy. It tasted like a sweet grapefruit, so if you happen to see this Ugli fruit give it a try. It taste better than it looks.

Food and Health Book Review: The Fat Resistance Diet

2011-03-30T14:04:00.000-04:00

Last week I started reading The Fat Resistance Diet by Leo Galland, M.D. and I can't put it down. This book clears up and connects a lot that I have been learning about health, food, weight loss and inflammation. Dr. Galland believes Leptin resistance- a hormonal dysfunction that disrupts the body's natural ability to regulate appetite and metabolism is the root cause of our nations struggle with excess weight. Leptin resistance is triggered by inflammation. Wow!! I know that chronic inflammation is the cause of most disease like cancer. Inflammation can be set off by eating certain foods like red meats, white flour, sugar and hydrogenated fats. On the other hand, berries, cherries, walnuts, almonds, whole grains and fish help to heal inflammation, as do cabbage, broccoli, garlic, and flax seeds.

This book has meal plans with recipes that I have already started to make. This book is worth checking out and would make a good resource for a cooking library. I will be sharing soon pictures of food I have a made using his recipes and food philosophy.

Black Studies in Art and Design Education Conference 2011

2011-03-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of attending the first international conference on Blacks Studies in Art and Design Education this past weekend. The conference took place at Parsons The New School of Art and Design in New York City. This two day event was organized by interdisciplinary artist and author Coco Fusco and designer and scholar Yvonne Watson both staff members at Parsons.

The conference was made up of several panel discussion, which each discussion in themselves could have lasted the whole duration of the conference.

Hot topics I was especially interested in was curricular reform and the black student experience in and out of the classroom.

Keynote speakers: (Day one) Dr. Leslie King-Hammond and (Day two) Dr. Noel Mayo.

Panelist included to name a few Michele Washington, Craig l. Wilkins, Susan Cahan and Stephen Burks.

Attending this conference was a valuable experience for me. I left feeling more motivated to continue my studies, show my work and to teach. One of my passions and goals is to teach young children to think creatively and become problem solvers, through art workshops.

Food for thought:

How can I use my craft and creativity to address the world’s problems? I know that heavy!

I feel this is my responsibility to use my life to make a contribution for positive change.

I am an artist and maker. How can I use these skills in art, craft and food to create a better life for myself and others.

I would love to be apart of creating a scholarship fund to help people of color go to art school.

Leslie king–Hammond mention the book The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind in her speech. And she shared several wise saying and proverbs including this one:

“Take what you have and make what you want “ Gullah proverb. Noel Mayo gave reference to Banker To The Poor by Muhammad Yunus.

The conference raised some huge issues and points that could not be answered in just the two days. Overall, I think the myth of becoming a starving artist is not a myth at all but a reality. We have to create strong networks so that we can be aware of job, exhibition and educational opportunities. I feel art and design education has to be pared with business and entrepreneurship training as well. When I graduated from art school I had no idea what I was going to do. I remembered my ceramics teacher in high school telling me strait up "the only way you can make money with this is to teach."

I would love to hear any thoughts and comments on this topic!

Food Product Discoveries: NibMor Agave Sweetened Chocolate Bar.

2011-03-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, this NibMor chocolate bar is made without refined sugar. It's also made using organic fair trade cacao and doesn't include dairy. But how does it taste you ask??

Good, It has a nice dark chocolate flavor that's not bitter. I got the one with almond which are finely chopped and I think they are raw because there's no almond crunch. I prefer larger nuts in a chocolate bar and I like the nuts to be roasted because it just taste better to me.

Food Product Discoveries: Honey- Butter

2011-03-25T09:05:00.000-04:00

I spotted this small tub of Downey Honey-Butter sitting on the top shelf in the butter section at my local health food store. I thought at first it was just a raw honey spread. I checked the ingredients: Honey, Butter (milk).

I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. I taste like raw honey with powdered milk. Which doesn't sound that tasty but spread it on bread/ toast then sprinkle it with cinnamon. Wow! It taste like french toast without the added eggs and the work. I think it would make a wonderful glaze for pastries. I like it and would buy it again.

Check out my new Kitchen Gadgets

2011-03-22T09:59:00.000-04:00

I caught a really good sale at Macys and I couldn't resist buying these items.

OXO Stainless Steel 11" Whisk
Mezzaluna from Martha Stewart Collection
Non-Skid Acacia Wood Cutting Board from Martha Stewart Collection

Teff Sourdough Waffles

2011-03-21T09:49:00.001-04:00

I was inspired to create this teff flour version from a blog post I read on how to make on sourdough waffles by food blogger Annie Eats. Making waffles is just another great thing to make with your liquid levain. I have been making sourdough bread every week for about a month now since I was given some of my friends sourdough starter, which I keep in my frig and feed twice a week.

I adapted Annie 's recipe to included teff flour which is a amazing whole grain. I was introducted to teff by Leslie Cerier a natural food chef and cookbook author. Teff is super healthy, gluten free and is grown in mainly Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Teff Sourdough Waffles

Ingredients:

For overnight sponge:

1 cup teff flour

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon coconut sugar crystals

1 cup water
1 cup levain

For Waffles:

1 flax egg

(Use 1 tablespoon flaxseeds plus 3 tablespoon water. Finely grind whole flaxseeds in coffee or spice grinder. Transfer ground flaxseeds to a bowl add water and whisk with a fork until it becomes gelatinous sort of like egg whites)

1 tablespoon olive oil

All of overnight sponge

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

To make the overnight sponge, combine the flours, sugar, water and sourdough starter in a mixing bowl. Mix very well. Cover and let rest overnight at room temperature.

The next day when your ready to make the waffles, preheat a waffle iron according to manufactures's instructions. Add in the flax egg, oil, baking powder and salt to the overnight sponge. Mix well to blend all ingredients together. the batter will bubble. Pour the batter into the preheated waffle iron and bake according to the manufactures instructions.

Maple Pecan Whiskey Cake

2011-03-19T20:42:00.000-04:00

Fellow ceramicist and foodie Molly Hatch shares her recipe for Maple Whiskey Cake on Design Sponge. I will be adding this recipe to my archives!

New Glaze Color Test Results

2011-03-16T08:45:00.001-04:00

Everything came out pretty much like I expected. There was three glazes that I added stain to that didn't show the color. I just have to add more of stain and do another test. I glazed some new bud vases with the blue color tile in the front. It's very pretty. I was inspired by the colors of Ancient Egypt. I often go to various museums to visit the Egyptian art galleries.

This is what my test tiles looked like before it went into the kiln to be glazed fired. What a difference!

Veggie Snacks: Corn Nuts

2011-03-15T10:01:00.001-04:00

You guys already know that I like to snack. I want my snacks to be healthy or at least not totally filled with junk. I always bring some sort of natural snack food with me when I'm on the go. Corn nuts can be fried or roasted so make sure to look for roasted corn nuts for a lower fat option. My local health food store sells it in the bulk section. Planters which is owned by kraft also sell corn nuts. You can find it in stores like Walgreens. I like corn nuts because it's very crunchy and it's made with just corn, oil and salt.

My concern with eating corn nuts is the sodium which can be very high. Corn is one of those crops we should be eating only organic and most corn nuts I seen are not labeled as such. I found this organic corn snack product at the vitamin shop I would like to try here. There are also recipes on how to make corn nuts at home. I haven't tried to make corn nuts before, but I would like too. This recipe for Honey Corn Nuts looks great. For info on why eating organic corn is important check out the food film King Corn.

Beautiful Ceramics by Melissa Griffin

2011-03-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

How to Make Homemade Seitan, Interesting video!

2011-03-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

I'm totally not a fan of eating wheat gluten as a meat substitute. It's really not healthy. I would rather eat a local farm raised meat, organic beans or tofu any day, but that's just me. Working class foodies has really great videos which I watch a lot. I don't like seitan, but this was a great video to watch the process of it being made.

Salmon Croquettes and Healthy Crab Cakes.

2011-03-10T22:22:00.000-05:00

I always keep canned salmon and tuna in my kitchen cupboard as a food emergency staple. My mom taught me that. Growing up my family and I would eat canned salmon or fried fish most of the time for breakfast on Saturdays. We ate a lot of canned food back then. Now of coarse I would rather eat everything fresh, but when money is low certain canned foods can come in pretty handy.

I came up with this quick salmon croquettes on a whim. I used red peppers, onions, paparika, sea salt, pepper and a slurry of arrowroot starch and water to bind it instead of an egg. I came out pretty tasty and had a good texture.

I found this healthy baked crab cake recipe using Alaskan King Crab which looks great from Gen's Guiltless Gourmet. I think that recipe can be adapted to make an amazing salmon croquettes. Get recipe here. She even has a vegan crab cake recipe too!

Sweet Potato Pizza

2011-03-09T10:28:00.001-05:00

Never heard of sweet potato pizza?? I haven't either but I got the idea from a focaccia bread recipe I saw on Martha Stewart.com.

First I made my dough. I followed Martha Stewart's caramelized sweet potato focaccia bread recipe.

I added:

Saute onions and shallots.
Boiled and sliced sweet potatoes.
Large black olives sliced.
Tomato sauce.
Fresh mozeralla cheese.

The flavor and texture of this pizza looked and tasted amazing. I had to do a quick google search to see if a just invented a new style of pizza!!. To my surprise sweet potato pizza is very very common! I learn something new everyday.

Here's a list of sweet potato pizza recipes I will be adding to my "Dishes To Make" Bookmark.

Mediterranean Sweet Potato Pizza

Sweet Potato Pizza With Onion and Rosemary

Lamb and Sweet Potato Pizza

Testing New Glaze Colors

2011-03-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

Making glaze from scratch is not one of my favorite studio activities. It involves measuring large amounts of powdered chemicals materials like oxides, silica which is powder glass and more. It's really just like following a bread baking recipe but some ingredients are toxic and I have to wear protective gloves and mask. Once glazes are fired and melt together in the kiln it's of course very food safe. I don't use any chemicals in my glazes that are not safe after firing. With that said I made new glazes. I want to change my palette just a bit and add some pink and yellow shades to my new work.

Top Foods To Buy Organic

2011-03-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

I have been struggling with balancing my food budget. I spend a good portion on my income on organic food. I have to find ways to spend less on food. I use coupons when I have them but there's no coupons for produce really. Here's a list of 12 foods you should eat organic and 15 you don't have to buy organic.
For those of us on a food budget.

-Have a great day
Shevon

Light Breakfast

2011-03-04T08:24:00.000-05:00

I have been sick for the last 2 days which was no fun at all. I'm trying my best to be productive each day and being sick just stops it all. I took time to stay home and rest and I feel much better today. I missed blogging though. I have a really good homemade granola recipe I would like to share. I'll post that next week. I'll be making more granola this weekend anyway.

This is my breakfast. Homemade bread with cottage cheese and blueberries. I will be heading to the studio today. I have a lot of work to finish. I threw some dessert bowls on the potters wheel that needs to be trimmed. Teapots are out of of the kiln, so I can't wait to see them. I will try to still take it sort of easy today, which as you can tell is hard for me.

Wheel Thrown Teapots

2011-03-01T08:59:00.001-05:00

These stoneware teapots are in the kiln as I write this. I'm very excited to see how they turn out. I really like making teapot. Teapots are challenging you have to throw all the parts separate the

lid
spout
handle
body

The real hard part is to create a teapot form that works well together. I hope the teapots pours water well and the lids are ok. In the glaze kiln firing lids can stick and the spout can twist a little. I'll be sure to post images once their out of the kiln.

I have been filling up my etsy shop with lots of ceramic work so if you haven't visited in a while now is a good time. I wish so much I could work on clay full time. I have so many ideas for things I would like to make. I feel overwhelmed at times. I have to calm down and remember to be thankful that I have the opportunity to work with this wonderful medium as much as I do!

Homemade Sourdough Bread #2

2011-02-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

This bread is actually the third batch of bread using liquid levain. The second batch didn't turn out so good. It was

Too Sour
Took way to long to rise
Not that pretty!

So I'm pretending that bread never existed.

This batch turned out great, except I forget to score the bread before baking. Very important step. I realize that now. The bread made it own score by the way at the bottom. It opened itself to let the air out. Very smart bread!!

I added a soaker to this bread of four grains

Teff
Quinoa
Millet
Amaranth

To make the soaker you just soak the grains overnight and add it to your bread mix.

I also used more levain this time in my recipe which I think accounts for these lovely large holes.

I added one cup and half levain to about 4 cups flour. I added water as needed. I used maybe one and a half cup. The dough should look sort of wet and shiny.

Breakfast Cornmeal Porridge

2011-02-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

My mom used to make cornmeal porridge all the time and I loved it.

I make mine sort of rich like she did with milk and real butter. It's like making grits but sweet. I added palm sugar, sea salt and bananas.

I'm going to the ceramic studio today, and I just remembered the teapots I made should be coming out of the kiln today. I hope the lids are ok. I think I forget to unstop the air hole. I really hope I did. Well we will see.

Have a great day everyone!

Rising of an Ancient Craft: Black Art and Craft Movement.

2011-02-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Black History Month, I'm participating in EAOC a collective blogging event. EAOC is collective of artists of color who sell on Etsy. I want to share some history of black potters in America.

Last summer I read this book Carolina Clay by Leonard Todd. This book was about a slave potter name Dave. Before reading this book I never thought about slaves working in pottery factories. What was unique about Dave's story was that he signed his pottery work and would write simple poems on them. This was unheard of because slaves was not aloud to read or write. Dave was also special because he could throw very large pots (larger than twenty gallons). Leonard Todd was a decendent of Dave's slave owner and wrote this book to tell Dave's story.

There's even a children's book about Dave's life.

EAOC Members participating in this blogging event:

Marcuskwame http://marcuskwame.blogspot.com/
jazjewelz http://favoritethingsetc.blogspot.com
Indigofera http://indigoferabeauty.blogspot.com
MadameKoiteh http://www.madamekoiteh.blogspot.com
rmateen http://www.ramjewels.com/ramblog
Shevongantceramics http://www.potsanddishes.blogspot.com
SydneyAustinDesigns http://sydneyaustindesigns.blogspot.com
Laquita33 http://allnaptural.

Sunny Anderson Puff Pastry Bowl

2011-02-23T16:37:00.000-05:00

I really like how she made that edible bowl. This technique would work well for fruit desserts. yum! I can't wait till strawberry and blueberry season.

Sourdough Bread Results

2011-02-22T22:30:00.000-05:00

This is the inside of the first loaf of bread using my friends levain starter. For those of you who are totally new to this concept of using levain instead of commercial yeast to make bread, I will try my best to explain or point you to other sites that can explain better than I can.
What is levain (sourdough) read here .

I'm really happy with the flavor of this bread and the hole structure came out alright. I will try to get larger holes in the next batch by adding a little bit more water and see if that helps. Read here about handmade bread hole structure.
I used King Arthur's White Wheat Flour and I know different flours have varied hydration levels and I should really weigh my flours than use measuring cup to be more precise. I don't know if I want to get that technical right now. I really just enjoy deciding with my eyes and gut to whether I need to add more flour or water. I already took 1/2 cup of my mother levain out of the frig and feed it 1/4 cup water and flour for the next batch of bread which I hope to make tomorrow.

Yeast Free Bread using liquid levain!

2011-02-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

This is my first loaf using my friends starter I told you about today. The bread is still pretty hot so I'll wait to slice it tomorrow.

It came out well and rose nicely I didn't really use a recipe. I added about 3/4 cup of the starter, around 3 cups of bread flour, a little over a cup of water and teaspoon of salt.

Here's the Starter it's nice and bubbly and smell lightly sour. I'll be feeding it this Wednesday equal amounts of flour and water.

Oatmeal for Breakfast

2011-02-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy a got to wake up late today. I'm having a quick breakfast this morning so I can go to the supermarket. I need to pick up some food staples like eggs and milk. I'm eating instant oatmeal for breakfast. I keep a stash of instant oatmeal in my cupboard for days like this. This one is from Kashi, I added the goji berries.

I couldn't believe when I opened the window curtains this morning that it snowed last night. Wow strange weather.

Today I'm going to bake bread using liquid levain and make more yogurt. I got some levain from a friend of mine at the ceramic studio. She has maintained this levain for about 4 years and she gave me some of it so I could start my own. I'm really excited. I have some experience making bread with my own levain in the past. It's a commitment you have to feed it regularly and make bread regularly but it's worth the work. I loss mine a few years ago because I got too busy to feed it everyday, so I just use it up and didn't make anymore. My friend told me that she keeps her levain in the frig and feeds it every four days. Well that better, I think I can handle that. I'll post some pictures of my progress with the levain. I'm off to the market.

Strawberry Mango filled birthday cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

2011-02-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

I made this cake for my dad's birthday. I use one of my favorite ultra rich cake recipes from Martha Stewart.com. The filling I just made up. I combined chopped fresh strawberries, mango puree, meyer lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch to create this filling.

Here's my dad eating his first slice. I had like two and a half slices myself. It sure was good but very very rich. I really need to spend some more time in the gym.

Homemade Whipping Cream Frosting

4 Cups Heavy Cream

1/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Put all ingredients in a bowl and use electric mixer with whisk attachment and beat on medium speed till soft peaks form.

Mini Spice Bowls Set

2011-02-17T10:24:00.000-05:00

I just put this set in my etsy shop. I like little bowl like these to use when I'm cooking or baking. It's helpful when you have a recipe with a lot of spices or herbs. I like measure and set up all my ingredients in the beginning before I start cooking. I learned that from taking culinary classes. It's really important so that you don't skip over something and you check to make sure you have all the necessary ingredients.

I will be making more bowls sets this size. This particular set is a second which means that it has a flaw. These bowls all have a small crack on the bottom. This is a small flaw and does not effect the use at all or the life of the bowl. All seconds in my shop are offered at a really low price because it's flawed. It's similar to buying day old bread in the market. The bread is still very good but cheaper.

I throw these little bowls off a big hump of clay. When throwing off the hump the chances of the bottom cracking is greater but it's more efficient as far as time to make small bowls this way. I have to work harder on compressing the bottom of each bowl more to try to avoid these annoying cracks. Luckily not all that I made cracked I already sold the two that didn't.

I had a lot of fun with the photography. I enjoy documenting my pottery and finding creative ways to show my audience how I would use them, which I hope would inspire them use them as well.

I love Agave Ginger Cashews

2011-02-14T22:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Days. Here's a special treat I know you will love . That's if you can eat cashews and like the taste of ginger.

These are so good! Organic Roasted Agave Ginger Cashews made by Tierra Farm. This product is not too sweet and has a very light ginger flavor. The cashews are dry roasted so you get that nice crunch in your mouth at first and then that soft buttery cashew texture. Yum! The serving size is 1/4 cup, 140 mg sodium and 3 grams of sugar . All nuts are pretty high in fat and calories, but who cares it's all natural and delicious. I would add this to homemade ice cream to be super naughty!

I bought this package product from my local health food store. Tierra Farms also sells chocolate covered curried and cajun cashews. That doesn't sound that good to me but I'm kind of curious. Have any of you tried that let me know?

Yuzu Jelly, Blood Orange Marmalade, Pear and Vanilla Butter

2011-02-13T23:29:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled upon this site that makes some really great sounding jams. Check out June Taylor Jams . I would really like to try that Yuzu Jelly. Yuzu is a Japanese grapefruit. The fragrance is so divine, it's one of my favorite scents and I would love to eat it.

Perfect Pouring Bowl

2011-02-10T20:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have a thing for pouring bowl. They are truly so helpful in the kitchen and I just love making them. I really love the glaze and shape of these new ones. I'm very happy with have how they came out. I just added them to my etsy shop.

I should make a special dessert sauce for Valentines day. I was planning to make sweet pastry puffs for dessert so that would work well. Anybody planning to make a special dinner for yourself or someone else? What's on the menu?

More Minneolas

2011-02-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

You know how much I love Minneolas so I got some more yesterday. I'm not sure when the season comes to an end but I want to eat as much as I can before it they go away!

To all my readers enjoy your day and eat well!

Blood Oranges for Breakfast

2011-02-08T11:28:00.000-05:00

Blood Oranges taste pretty much like a regular orange but with a extra sort of berry flavor. Here's some resources and ideas what to make with this beautiful fruit.

Sweet Potato Turnovers

2011-02-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

The smell of roasted sweet potatoes in the oven always puts a huge smile on my face growing up. This sweet potato turnover is something I came up with in honor of Black History Month. My goal was to create a bite size healthier version and of the classic southern American sweet potato pie. These mini pies will be easy for me to take to work for lunch.

First I roasted a bunch of sweet potatoes in the oven till it was very soft and well cooked. I then let them cool while I made the pastry dough. I used whole wheat pastry flour, butter, sea salt and cold water. For the filling I used mashed sweet potatoes cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt and ground dates (for texture and added sweetness).

I bake them till it was golden brown. Taste great hot or cold. I keep them in an air tight container in the frig.

Waffles with Agave For Breakfast!

2011-02-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

I have a small Krups waffle maker that I owned for over 8 years that works great. I use my Buckwheat Pancake recipe to make this. Quick and easy! Off to the studio. I hope to work on some platters today!

Valentines Day handmade Gift Ideas!

2011-02-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing

This is a catalog that I created for Etsy Artist of Color. I have been team leader since April 2010 and I love most of all showing off my fellow members work. Our group is very diverse, we have members from all over the United States and abroad.

Ceramic Storage Jar.

2011-02-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

New in my Etsy Shop. All my pottery is food safe, so it can be used for storing tea, sugar, candy etc.. as well as home decor. Visit my Etsy shop to see a photo of the inside.

Make it a wonderful day!

Wasabi Dry Roasted Edamame: Veggie Snacks

2011-01-31T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is a snack I buy every now and then. I like the crunchy texture and the heat from the wasabi (which can be a bit strong at times). This snack is high in fiber, protein and iron which I like. This soy product is labeled as NON GMO which is very important to me.

Bulgur Wheat Porridge with Toasted Walnuts Goji Berries and Dates

2011-01-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

For breakfast this morning. I 'm having good old fashion bulgur wheat. I like this bulgur wheat because it cooks fairly quick. I get mine from Shiloh Farm or Bobs Red Mill. The walnuts are toasted in a cast iron skillet on the stove top till it's fragrant. I added dates for sweetness and goji berries just because. I like to serve this type of porridge with yogurt. It's really good and most important very filling.
I'm off to the studio, I'm running a little late.

Rapper Flava Flav opens a Fried Chicken Restaurant!

2011-01-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, I think that's awesome. I wish him much success with this business! I could see a Flavor's Chicken in New York.

A Snowy Day!

2011-01-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad I get to stay home today! I took this picture from my window this morning. I will try to make the most of this snow day. I'm taking some pictures of my ceramic work and cooking basmati rice to go with salmon fillets I baked last night. I hope to upload new pictures of ceramics to my etsy shop today.

High Fiber Breakfast Cereals

2011-01-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

For a weekday breakfast I always have cereal or a porridge. One of my 2011 Health Food Resolutions is to eat more fiber, so I'm trying to load up in the morning. Do you have a favorite breakfast cereal or porridge recipe? if so I would love to hear about it?

Back to Basics: Making Tall Cylinders

2011-01-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

This is me in the studio. I was using 8 pounds of clay to make this cylinder which is a lot for me. The work on the table is made using about 3 pounds.

Have a great Monday!

Cardamom-Scented Oatmeal Pancakes from NY Times

2011-01-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try this.

Folding Cooling Rack!

2011-01-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

I saw this product reviewed on America's Test Kitchen today. I think it's really neat and would be great for craft and baking projects. It's made by Linden Sweden Bakers.

My Food Haul- When going food shopping it's wise stick to your list!

2011-01-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

I just came home from Traders Joe's supermarket. I went there just to pick up 2 things. Yummy Cocktail Grapefruits and Frozen Salmon and now look what happened. I just spend $39 extra bucks on food from my tight budget. This wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't already spent nearly $70 on food on Wednesday.

Well, It least I know that I will eat and enjoy every morsel of food I purchased!

Eat well everybody!

The Global Africa Project- Museum of Art and Design

2011-01-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

This exhibition is huge! This show features work from over 100 artist from Africa, Europe Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean. The Global Africa Project examines the work of contemporary African artist and it's influence on artist and designers around the world. This exhibition includes ceramics, fashion, furniture, jewelry and more..

These chairs are some of my favorite pieces from this exhibition!

The Museum of Art and Design also has a Teacher Resource Packet for this exhibition!

Snapea Crisps! My New Favorite Snack.

2011-01-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

I must admit I snack a lot. I'm trying to cut down because I need to cut my calorie in take. I really like this Snapea Crisps. It's very tasty, has a nice texture and a light crunch. I try to control my portion size by eating out of a small bowl instead of eating directly from the bag. That dangerous!

The main ingredients are Green Peas, Corn oil, Rice, Salt. Snapea Crisps website says "This product contains 17% vegetable protein and 8% fiber that comes mostly from the skins of the peas. Snapea Crisps contain an abundance of vitamins, irons, and calcium. Snapea Crisps Delivers the peas's natural nutrients in their entirety." That sounds good to me.

Have you tried Snapea Crisps (original or caesar) and if so what do you think?