Mother's Day is Sunday

 Ideas for Mother's Day:

A beautiful vase filled with her favorite flowers.

A tiny dish with the word "LOVE" stamped in it.

A handmade mug for her morning coffee.

A beautiful serving dish for her favorite meal.

ART for anyplace she might need a Mother's Day reminder after the day has come and gone.

The Food and Pottery Connection:

Serve This:

... because I'm a Mom and vanilla ice cream is my all time favorite

In This: 

wheel thrown hand painted bowl with floral motif  - yes, it's my very own...

I'll be working at the Dedham Square Artist Guild on Saturday, May 12th from 2pm-6pm.  Stop by the shop at 553 High Street in Dedham, MA.  There are many beautiful things to make your Mother's Day one to remember after the day has come and gone.

Westwood Land Trust Art Exhibit

Tonight, Tuesday, October 25th from 6-8pm, the Westwood Land Trust will sponsor its 5th annual "Capturing Nature in Art" exhibit.  Located in the Westwood High School, the exhibit will feature art from Westwood residents that celebrates Westwood's beautiful natural environment. Students of all ages using all types of media will exhibit their creative work.  

"Last year, over 250 Westwood community members viewed the wide variety of artwork submitted by students and residents. Exhibited items included: nature-inspired collages; contour line drawings, charcoal drawings, and paintings of ferns, twigs, pine cones and trees; watercolor and acrylic paintings of Westwood wildlife; photographs of Westwood landmarks, familiar landscapes and wildlife; watercolors of cone flowers; sterling silver jewelry such as a vine bracelet and leaf necklace and earrings; and a “Falling Leaves” ceramic bowl.  Diane Kaiser, Westwood Public School Art Director, and all the Westwood Public School art teachers support this event in their classrooms when they link art and nature."

Find out more about the Westwood Land Trust and the work that they do to preserve land in Westwood. Or better yet, stop by and see the influence this not for profit has on the residents of Westwood.

I'm exhibiting three soda fired vases (Thanks Gallery 9 for letting me borrow these!) because I feel they capture nature best.  So much of my fall collection celebrates the natural world and the leaf has become symbolic for that connection.  These vases stand out as some of my best work and I'm excited to exhibit them in my home town.

I'm not only an exhibitor, but also one of the committee members who installs the exhibit and therefore I get to see the amazing response year after year as the exhibit continues to grow and more residents find out about the work that the Westwood land Trust does to keep our town open and green!

Fourth of July

What American doesn't love a patriotic fourth of July gathering with fireworks, good food, family and close friends?  I know I do. Our party will have hot dogs and hamburgers, chips and pickles. I'm going to make a bowl of potato salad.

perfect bowl for potato salad

Potato Salad - serves 8

Heart of the Home by Susan Branch

2 lbs red bliss potatoes, scrubbed and halved

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped

1//4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

salt and pepper

1. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, cut into bite size pieces. 
2. Fry bacon. set aside. Drain all but 3 T of bacon fat from the pan. Add shallots and saute until soft. Combine shallots and cooked bacon and pour over hot potatoes.

3. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well.  Serve at room temperature.

With the bounty of local farm fresh strawberries, I'm making strawberry shortcake this weekend too. 

a bowl for cake; a bowl for berries

Strawberry Shortcakes for 8

Martha Stewart Food Magazine

cakes~

2 1/2 cups flour

1 stick butter (cold)

1/3 cup plus 1 T sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a food processor, combine flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar and baking powder; process until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add milk until moistened. 

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and gently pat into a 4x8 inch rectangle. 

3. Dust a large knife with flour; cut dough into eight squares. Transfer to a baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 25-30 minutes; cool on baking sheet. Serve with berries and whipped cream.

sweetened strawberries~

Hull and quarter 6 cups fresh strawberries.  Toss with 1/4 cup sugar. Let stand about 20 minutes before serving.

bowls for ice cream with strawberries

If there are left over strawberries, serve over a scoop of vanilla ice cream the next day, or perhaps spooned over some warm pancakes or waffles in the morning....

Vase for flowers

Whether for yourself or your host, there is no better table topper than a handmade vase filled with flowers from the garden. Enjoy your celebration!


red and blue criss cross glazing for functional ware...

What will you bring to your 4th of July events in a handmade piece of pottery?

Janson Pottery

I met Janet of Janson Pottery "virtually" through the etsy mud team. I immediately felt a connection with this Canadian potter who creates handmade pottery to fill a need in everyday life, like her pitchers (photo below) and her textural tiles she sells for kitchen back splashes.

Janet uses both a potter's wheel and slab roller to create work from mid range porcelain. She makes up all her own glazes and uses them alone or layered over a base glaze. All work is suitable for microwave and dishwasher, although hand washing will prolong the life of the piece. 

Janet's handmade porcelain pieces are an attempt to give people an opportunity to pause in their busy lives. Simple forms invite touch while offering a beautiful backdrop for the food we serve our loved ones. 

Janson Pottery's connection with food and pottery starts first thing in the morning. She says, "How I love berry season! I especially love making smoothies with these lovely delicious red fruit and I like to have enough for everyone in the morning. I like making small tumblers and little pitchers for our breakfast table. My family loves them and they are a great way to begin the day."  Try her smoothie recipe which she serves in the tumblers pictured above.

Easy Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup strawberries, frozen
1 tsp of lemon/lime juice
1 cup of pure water
3-6 ice cubes

Pour water and juice into the blender. Then, place banana on the bottom with the frozen berries and ice on top. Blend on low for 10-20 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium/high until creamy smooth.

"Besides being delicious, strawberries are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This yummy fruit is full of flavor and contributes to overall health"

And for the breakfast table, here are some pretty vases...

Thankfully the postal strike is under control in Canada and Janson Pottery's etsy shop is up and running again. Please visit her shop to see more of her beautiful work. As I mentioned earlier, she and I are both members of the etsy mud team where we share our love of clay with other potters. 


In addition to being an etsy seller, Janet has a wonderful website which includes her blog and a link to her facebook page

Happy Mother's Day

For all the wonderful MOMs out there: have a wonderful day on Sunday!

For My Mom:
Lemon Meringue Pie - serves 8

pastry:  Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar in a food processor.  Add 6 T cold unsalted butter (cut into 1" pieces) and 1/4 cup shortening until dough forms pea size crumbs. 2-3 T water may be added.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface.  Shape into a flat disk.  Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for an hour or more.

lemon curd: Whisk together in a saucepan over med heat: 3 eggs, 5 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, 3T milk and a pinch of salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Slowly add in 8 T of butter (cut into 1" pieces) and stir 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, strain and cool to room temperature.

With both the pastry and lemon curd ready, it is time to create the pie.  Preheat oven to 425. Roll out pastry to a 12" round, 1/8" thick circle.  Transfer dough to a 9" pie plate and flute edges. Line with parchment paper and weights. Bake 12 minutes.  Remove paper and weights, continue cooking 10 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350.  Pour lemon curd into pie shell.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  While cooking, make meringue.

meringue: Beat 4 egg whites, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar a Tablespoon at a time until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Spread meringue over hot pie filling to the edges of the pastry to seal and prevent shrinkage.  Bake until top is golden, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Dip knife in warm water to cut slices.

Colorful Vases to fill with fresh flowers ....

Comfort Food

Creating a meal for a friend is a great way to care for that person.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese - serves 4
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz penne pasta
2 cups lightly steamed broccoli florets
3 cups cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1. Make sauce: melt butter, whisk in flour, add broth and milk. Slowly bring to boil. When thickened, add 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 T parm. Set aside.
2. Cook penne pasta al dente. Tear chicken into large pieces. Add sauce to pasta. Add chicken and broccoli to pasta.
3. Spread mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes serving.

Vase for a small bouquet of flowers...

Valentine's Day is February 14th

Celebrate Valentine's Day with your sweetheart and this no silverware required meal...

Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs - servings depend on how much you love these

1 rack of baby back ribs
Barbecue Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is my favorite)
Water

1. Set up your slow cooker.
2. Cut ribs into sections of 2 ribs. Add to cooker.
3. Add about 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus 1/2 cup or less water.
4. Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours.
5. Turn down to low for 6-8 hours.

Sweetheart Vase ...

Best Meatballs

Reading through the Boston Globe on Sunday, I found a recipe for Italian Meatballs that sounded perfect for dinner on a snowy night. I have a freezer full of locally raised meat from Austins Farm (see link on favorite sites) and their ground meat is lean and flavorful. This recipe got the thumbs up from every family member.

Italian Meatballs - serves 6
Boston Globe

1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
2 T olive oil
Marinara Sauce

1. Combine bread crumbs, water, egg, cheese, herbs, salt and meat.

2. Wet hands and make 20-24 meatballs.

3. Heat olive oil over low-med heat in a pan big enough to hold all the meatballs. Brown and remove to paper towel.

4. Bring sauce to a boil in a large pot. Add meatballs and lower heat to simmer. Loosely cover pot and simmer meatballs for 30-40 minutes. Delicious served over linguini.

Pretty vase for the table...

Strawberry Fields Forever

To make room for my 3 months of CSA meat from Austin Farms, I had to make room in my freezer. I found a bag of frozen strawberries that I had picked this past summer and decided to see if they were not too freezer burned to use. I made a batch of strawberry muffins and those hand picked strawberries were perfectly delicious...



Strawberry Muffins - makes 12
Joy of Cooking

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups strawberries, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Grease liners for 12 muffins in a muffin tin.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Add dry to wet with a couple of quick beats.
4. Fold in strawberries. Divide batter into 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with a little sugar.
5. Bake about 17 minutes but allow 20. Cool a couple of minutes in the pan before cooling on the rack.

a vase of flowers for the table .....

Selling at Powessit

I'll be selling my pottery at that Powessit Farm in Dover on Tuesday, July 13th in the afternoon. So much of my work has been inspired by this place; I can't wait to spend the afternoon interacting with other CSA members!

Vases for fresh flowers

Company's Coming

It is end of the school year events at our house. Here is a great recipe that everyone will love. It is easy to make a day ahead and pop in the oven so you can visit with family. Austins Farm hamburg is the special ingredient here!

Company Casserole - 4 servings (easy to double or triple!)
8 on medium wide noodles
1 lb hamburg
16oz tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1/3 c chopped onion
1 T chopped green pepper
2 T butter
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 c sour cream

1. Boil noodles 10 minutes in salted water. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook onions and peppers in butter until soft. Mix with cheeses and sour cream. Set aside.
3. Brown hamburg, drain, add tomato sauce. Set aside.
4. Set oven at 350. In a buttered casserole dish, put 1/2 noodles, then cheese mixture, then remaining noodles, top with meat sauce. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. This can be made ahead of time and is lovely with a green salad.

Vases for flowers from the concert....