Spring Teaser...

A quick snap of some of the new test pieces out of the last kiln. A bad photo that hopefully speaks to my excitement about soon putting good, homemade foods in each. What would you put in them? Stay tuned, and soon you'll see all sorts of inspired dishes from very talented chefs and cooks. Guest Chef Series begins in April!

More Sweet Potato Love

We had a bit of a party at the studio this week. We were so happy to welcome good friends and avid collectors Rick & Mary to spend the day with us, watching multiple Raku firings and in general having a very nice visit with all of us in the studio.

The weather wasn't as lovely as it could be, so we devised a warming menu of lamb/chuck burgers, with all sorts of fixin's!

Mary wanted the recipe for the Sweet Potato Fries, so that's what we'll focus on today. The burgers were freshly ground lamb and chuck from The Chop Shop, so needed very little in the way of seasoning beyond a dash of salt, pepper, and soy sauce before hitting a hot grill (thank you again, George Foreman!). Maybe a light sprinkle of smoked sea salt once on the grill.

To begin prep on the sweet potatoes, they were all cut, then tossed in some unfiltered olive oil and an herbed sea salt with a dash of cayenne. Thinly sliced shallot and chopped garlic were tossed in as well.

Next, fry up a pound of bacon (to be used as a burger topping)*. We use an electric skillet at the studio, but you can cook the bacon on the Foreman grill as long as you have a method to collect the grease. Pour off the grease and clean out the pan. When you're ready to cook up the fries, pour in some bacon grease so you have about 1/4" standing. Get it nice and hot (but not smoking) and add the sweet potatoes. I've not listed quantities, as you'll make as much as you want. We used about 6 sweet potatoes, so the pan was full. Toss to make sure the bacon fat is evenly coating the fries, then cover and let cook 5 minutes or so. Open the pan and give them a stir - you'll get some nice browning and caramelization on the bottoms. Give a taste for doneness and season as needed, they'll likely need a few more minutes under the cover.

Remove them to a paper towel lined platter to soak back a bit of the grease before serving.

Our burger buffet, also featuring saute-ed mushrooms (crimini/shiitake blend with leeks), caramelized sweet onions, avocado, and goat cheese.

Mary, if you have any questions, let me know. And if you don't mind, perhaps I'll share the recipe you'll be sending me for those delicious Nutty Apple Muffins when I get it!

*If you're not frying up bacon, you can use oil for cooking the sweet potatoes. We won't judge.

What a Difference a Drizzle Makes!

In the winter months, sweet potatoes and greens abound. Luckily, I never tire of them and rather look forward to letting them dominate the menu. Even so, the same old thing need not be the same old thing!

It's a chilly, chilly day in Asheville, and I'm at the Gallery longing for some good comfort food. This is one of my favorite stand by meals in winter, at any time of day. Recently, I picked up a lovely bottle of aged balsamic vinegar from The Tree & Vine, and a drizzle atop the greens just before I plated the eggs truly transformed the dish. It's warming me up from the inside out as I tell you about it!

Comfort Brunch
(this makes two modest or one generous serving)


1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bulb of garlic, smashed and chopped
Olive Oil*
3 large stalks of curly kale, cleaned and torn into smaller pieces
1 small sweet potato, diced
liberal pinches of salt
liberal shakes of cayenne pepper
about 1/2 tsp turmeric
optional: vegetable broth
1-2 eggs
dried basil
aged balsamic vinegar

At the studio, I use an electric skillet. Use the cookware appropriate to your kitchen set up.

Heat 2-3 tsp olive oil over med/lo heat and add the shallots and garlic. Saute until fragrant and softened, then add sweet potatoes. Season with salt, cayenne, and turmeric (more or less to your taste). Continue to saute, and add a little of the veggie broth if it seems too dry (I'll often add mushrooms for additional flavor and liquid, but had none today).

When the sweet potatoes are tender (the greens will be a nice, bright green), remove the contents of the pan to your beautifully handmade plate or plates. Add a bit more oil to the pan, and crack open your egg or eggs. Season with a pinch of salt and crush some dried basil on top of the eggs. Cook moderately until ready to flip (I go 'over easy' - cook them as you like them). Once flipped, turn off the heat.

Drizzle aged balsamic vinegar over the greens. Slide the eggs on top. Enjoy with a nice cuppa.

* I love to use Theros unrefined olive oil, also available at The Tree & Vine. It comes in a clear glass bottle, so you can decant it into one of my lovely oil bottles for ease of use and to protect the oil. Bottles also available at The Tree & Vine.

'quick' curry

I love winter cooking. Ok, so it was 70 outside today, but it's still winter and there's actually snow in the forecast for the end of the week (welcome to Asheville!), so there.

soul-satisfying vegetable curry

We had a dinner meeting at the studio this week, and we had decided on a crock pot curry. Normally, I'd get it going early and simmer it all day, but I was scheduled out of the studio until just hours before our meeting, and ingredients would be coming in from the other members of the studio all day, so adjustments had to be made. This 'recipe' is more of an outline, as many recipes here are, but you can use the formula to try your own versions. And to help with the time factor, we're using some pre-cooked and pre-prepared elements, as we've done in the past.

the micro-brew of hummus

Do I still consider it homemade? Oh yah, sure, you betcha! And the result of these little 'cheats' is that we had a curry with deeply developed flavors in a fraction of the time. Do I prefer this to spending a long morning in the kitchen prepping and cooking, then smelling the spices and flavors simmer all day long? Not at all, but when I can get this result at the studio using a crock pot and electric skillet, I'll take it! Will I ever present proper 'recipes' with normal formats? Yes, but you may have to wait for the book version. Will I stop asking myself questions now and get to it? I'll try, but it's kind of hard to stop.

Amounts: we have a large, oval crock pot, and this meal served 9 with leftovers. I'm sharing the amounts I used, so you may want to adjust for your own uses, and as always, use this as an outline and use ingredients that you like. Play with it!

Curry Base

2  8-ounce containers Roots Thai Coconut Curry Hummus
1  large can crushed tomatoes
2  cans coconut milk
1 TBSP turmeric
2 TBSP curry spices*
1 TBSP salt

Put curry base ingredients in crock pot, stir to blend, and set to high while you prepare the vegetables. Keep covered, and stir and cover again immediately after each addition below.
*we use a blend of curry spices at the studio - use your favorite blend or individual spices. Because there's some heat in the hummus, I'm not adding cayenne in this recipe (this time!).

Other ingredients

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 cup cooked lentils
dry thyme or basil
1 1/2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 medium sweet potato, diced
2 cups cooked collard greens, chopped
8 oz. 'baby bella' mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 cups broccoli flowerets
Olive oil
Vegetable broth
salt, pepper, additional curry seasonings

Heat about 3 tbsp vegetable broth in the skillet. Add the garbanzos and lentils. Season with salt and dry herbs. Saute 3-4 minutes, adding more broth if it dries out, then transfer into the curry base, which should be heating up.

Heat 3-4 TBSP olive oil in skillet on low, and add 1 cup of the onions and cook slowly over low heat until caramelized. Season with salt and turmeric (more for color), then transfer into curry base and stir.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth in skillet, then add garlic, sweet potatoes and collards.Season lightly with salt and pepper, adding more broth if needed to keep pan moist until sweet potatoes and garlic soften. Transfer to curry base.

Heat 2-3 TBSP olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms, cut side down, to sear. Stir after a couple of minutes and add remaining sliced onion and saute until softened. Season lightly to tastes, then transfer to curry base.

Add broccoli to curry base and stir. Taste for seasoning balance, cover crock pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Winter Gallery Hours and Activities

We are finally feeling like winter here in the weather, and while things may feel like they're slowing down to accommodate a seasonal hibernation, it's actually time to get busy in studio!

The Village Potters Gallery is moving into winter hours: Monday - Saturday, 10am-4pm through March. If you're in the area, I hope you'll come by and say hello! I'm in the gallery two Wednesdays a month, and you'll find me back in the studio most other days.

Meanwhile, I'm in studio most days, shaking off the more leisurely holiday pace and working on stocking up for clients and preparing new work for galleries and the new year. I'm so grateful to have a busy list to start with, and I'm looking forward to developing new works for existing and new clients this year. Hopefully I'll do better at sharing glimpses of that here!

In addition to the 'making' aspect of the work, there's always work to be done in the business/administrative end as well. We had a stellar first year as The Village Potters, and we're looking ahead to another great year of growth individually for each of us as well as for the Collective that is The Village Potters. Crazy Green Studios continues its growth, and I continue to be grateful beyond words for the opportunities that have come to me in joining The Village Potters. New lines, updated wholesale offerings, and new associations all abound in the year ahead and it's an honor and pleasure to do it with this group!

Finally, I'll leave you with a link to a very thoughtfully written blog, on a subject that comes up often and in many forms for anyone who is an artisan of handmade products or services. I'm not sharing it as a 'rant', but more to say thank you to all who have supported my work and who support the idea and importance of handmade. You can read the blog HERE.

Happy New Year!

Latkes!

It used to be that a busy studio life meant less cooking. While that's true of 'home' cooking, the increasing functionality of our studio kitchen means I can get an idea for a meal on the way to the studio, and actually cook it up at the studio!

That's sort of what happened the other morning. On the way to the studio, a flyer from my Co-op fell out of one of my bags and I spied a recipe for latkes. It being Hannukah and all, I felt I should make my mom proud and make some for my studio mates. I scanned the recipe and knew I could make it 'more or less' as written, and the results were very well received!

With thanks to the Co-op flyer (I'm sure many who are used to my vague lists of ingredients and cooking process will delight in an actual recipe!) - with my adjustments:

Sweet Potato and Parsnip Latke

Makes 12 latkes.

2 cups shredded sweet potatoes
1 cup shredded parsnips
1/2 small onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup polenta style corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil for frying


Peel the sweet potatoes and parsnips and shred using a food grater or food processor. Wrap the shredded bits in a few paper towels and squeeze out the excess liquid. Grate the onion and wrap that in a few paper towels to squeeze out excess liquid. Add onion to sweet potato and parsnips.

Dust the shredded veggies with the cornmeal, salt, and cayenne pepper. Toss to mix and coat evenly. Lightly beat the two eggs, then pour over the veggies and mix till evenly coated.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with vegetable oil, and come up the sides about 1/4 inch. When the oil is hot, scoop a large spoon full of the latke mix into the pan, then flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Repeat until the pan is filled, but not crowded, and lightly sprinkle the flattened tops with sea salt (this side only).  Brown the latkes on each side for about 3-4 minutes, then remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the mix.

** ** **

I think there are many options to play with in the mix. Half way through cooking these, I happened upon a leftover roasted corn on the cob in the fridge, so I scraped off the kernels and added them to the remaining latkes. Very good! Next time I'll probably add some fresh herbs, maybe some other root veg, maybe do a curried version...

Toppings: The co-op flyer suggested a topping of sour cream mixed with a minced apple. I had a container of coconut milk yogurt (apricot) and used that instead, but they were quite good even without a topping.

Happy Hannukah!

Cool Craft Market: December 14-16

Join me in downtown Asheville December 14-16 for some holiday fun and great handmade gifts at Handmade in America!

Cool Craft Market: Holiday Edition and VIP Preview Party December 14-16, 2012 VIP Preview Party Friday, Dec 14, 5pm-8pm $10 + one item for Homeward Bound of Asheville. See below for items to bring. Market Saturday, 10am -5pm, free Sunday, 11-4pm, free Location: HandMade in America Office HandMade in America is located at 125 S. Lexington, Suite 101 Asheville, NC 28801. HandMade in America's front doors are located on Hilliard Avenue between S. Lexington Ave. and Church Street.(Paid parking located across from front doors. Free parking available as you can find arounf block) This December, HandMade in America is excited to  host its first annual Cool Craft Market: Holiday Edition. This Market will feature 25 vendors from around Western North Carolina, selling both functional and decorative items including clothing, accessories, pottery, natural products, kitchenware, and ornaments. The Cool Craft Market will be a fantastic place to find one of a kind gifts ranging from $5-$300, just in time for the holidays! On Friday, December 14th from 5-8:00pm HandMade in America is having a VIP Preview Party, with item donations to benefit Homeward Bound of Asheville, a group with a mission to end chronic homelessness in the city. Guests of the party will have their first choice on market items as well as free food and drink to celebrate the holiday season. Come enjoy local craft and local music by The Willows. Local wine and food will be served. Tickets will cost $10 and HandMade asks that everyone bring one item from the Homeward Bound of Asheville necessity's list. (See below) This Party is sponsored by Element Advertising, WNC Magazine, Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro, SignARama, Asheville Brewing Company and Homeward Bound. Items to Bring *Homeward Bound items are not required on Saturday and Sunday but we will still accept donations throughout the weekend. For A HOPE Ground Coffee Toilet Paper Disposable Razors Sugar For Pathways to Permanent Housing Cleaning Supplies – Trash bags, paper towels, all-purpose cleaners Toilet brush, Broom, Mop, Dust pan Plates, Bowls, Cups, Silverware Pots and Pans Coffee Pots Dishrags/Dish Towels Toasters Microwaves Shower Curtains, Liner, and Rings Pillows Blankets/Comforters Sheets (full and queen) Participating Artists Ryan-Ashley Anderson Linda Azar Anja Bartels Elynn  Bernstein Amy Brandenburg Julie Fawn Boisseau Melanie Carreira Chad Alice Hagen Linda LaBelle Jude Lally Cara  May Sandra McCartney Mary  Mikkelsen & Henry Pope Dyann Myers Christopher Perryman Susan Seidman Michon Sentner Matthew Smith Cara Steinbuchel Lori Theriault Barbara Updike Anita Walling Doc Welty Sheree White Sorrells Daniele Wickel