Warding off the Winter Woes

It's been a nasty year for colds and flu, but happily I've been clear of them other than a warning sniffle or tickle. Those have been quickly dealt with, and this morning when my housemate came home from work with big signs of a coming flu, I reached for a recipe that would be both soothing and healing for him, and immune-boosting for me.

Ginger Turmeric Tea

2 cups water
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated*
1" knob fresh turmeric, peeled and grated*
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBSP honey or maple syrup, or to taste

Options: 
Milk of your choice if you like it creamy

*Not required, but really good if you can get fresh too.

** If you have a scratchy throat, add 1/2 tsp. cayenne to the pot to add even more anti-inflammatory properties.

Put everything but the sweetener (and creamer, if using) in a pot and bring to a boil. 

Lower heat and let it simmer about 10 minutes. 

Pour into a pre-heated teapot, sweeten to taste and add creamer of your choice (if you choose), and enjoy!

PB Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Nothing warms up a chilly, winter home like the tantalizing aromas that waft from a busy oven. A lighter holiday schedule combined with a pseudo-snow (or would that be pseudo-psneau?) inspired me to don a baker's cap this morning. That, and the bananas that were over-ripening before my eyes.

As often happens, the inspiration to create something may not always coincide with a larder filled with everything on the ingredient list. But let's not let that stop us! I knew I had the basics for a banana bread, so I started with a favored recipe from James Beard's "Beard on Bread" that I have often used as a base recipe:

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (3 heavy ones should do it)
1/12/ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cups sliced nuts, almonds or your choice.

So going down the list, I only had to make a few adjustments:

*I don't have butter, but I did have almost 1/4 cup of peanut butter. After scraping every bit into a measuring cup, I made up the difference with some hardened coconut oil. 

*had some unrefined sugar, but no honey, so subbed maple syrup but a little less of each.

*used some chopped walnuts for nuts, and had some cinnamon out and in the bowl before I realized it didn't call for it, so let's say I added 1/2 teaspoon.

I love these bread recipes as they are so simple. Cream the "butter", add the sugars, add the eggs one at a time, stir in the bananas. Sift the dry, mix it in and then mix in the nuts. Easy-Peasy! Pour into a greased loaf pan (I also like to do these in muffin papers - more of that nice top crust to enjoy and the extras freeze well), and bake in a pre-heated 350 oven for about an hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

A perfect way to fill the house with yummy smells, and nibble away the morning with perhaps just one more cup of coffee...

Seems I just had that cookbook in my hand, where did I put it....?

2014: Create

That's my word for the new year. I used to do this every year, but I think it's been more internal over the past years, as there always seemed to be too many things to keep up with to focus on just one word. Without dwelling on the 'looking back', which has its place and benefits that I know are often lauded at the end of the year, I choose to stay looking forward. Although I will say that the past year was one that really felt like it had movement, and I'm grateful for every moment, and for every person with whom I had the privilege to share any moment. All so good.

Onward, and for 2014 I choose Create. When I think about all my intentions for the new year, I see this word in many facets. It's not just an idea to make more work, although that's definitely on the list. I can create more work, but I will also create better work. I will create deeper relationships. I will create new opportunities. I will create a great balance in work and life. I will create good new habits. See what I mean? I invite any and all to pick a word and join me. Once you do, you'll be amazed at how you start to see things in terms of that word, and what kind of domino-effect it can have on your thinking.

"Create" print by Kelly Rae Roberts. I found it in a gallery downtown the day I picked my word. I actually saw it in many forms that day, and finally chose this piece to celebrate my intentions.

Lovely enameled flowers my friend Anne gave me because she thought they'd go nicely with my 'create' sign. Looking at them in different arrangements is already giving me ideas to create new designs.

"cheer" banner by Holly deSaillan. I love these so much - she also made me a studio banner in clay, and this picture doesn't do justice to the collage layers of each piece. I love it so much, I'm having her make me one for my word, and while it's unlike anything I make, it's already been an inspiration. And to create cheer is a good goal any day!

'nuff said.

Thanksgiving in my home, from many hands...

 I make my pots for good food to be shared with good people, so it's easy to understand why Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. This year did not disappoint, with many hands (and chairs, and ovens) coming together to create a delicious meal, and many people coming together as new and old friends to create a beautiful day. I admit I had a few fleeting doubts, as I was also spending Thanksgiving week glazing for a kiln that I fired on Wednesday. But thanks to some great make-ahead tips I found on thekitchn.com, and the many good hands and good hearts of all who came to sit at the table, it was just all good!

Special props go to Michael & Jan, for all the last minute borrowed ingredients, plastic wrap, chairs, napkins, and oven space - not to mention the squash dish, the pie, the cranberries, and the appetizer (the very model of good neighbors)! And to house-mate Eric for jumping in to help with the prep all week: making his first pie, brining the turkey, making the gravy, cutting, chopping,stirring, and cleaning and more, which made Thanksgiving Day itself so very relaxing. And to Patricia for the incredible Apple Pie (her grandmother's recipe), and Michael & Julie for the Green Beans, the Salad, and an incredible Chocolate-Garbanzo (gluten free) cake. And to Kristin for fabulous Brussel Sprouts, for bringing her wonderful son, and their own chairs, and for taking gorgeous pictures! Recipes will follow, but here are some images from the day. The first is from my phone, and the rest (that look so very good!) are from the skilled eye of Kristin Fellows (who also makes a mean Brussel Sprout dish!).

Early afternoon Apps, clockwise from bottom left corner:
Coconut Shrimp on Wonton with Roots' Lima Bean Hummus,
Turkey Liver Pate, Challah Toasts (and olives, carrots, & cornichons).  

Lace-imprinted porcelain ornaments for each guest. 

It was a visual feast as well, with the colors of the food and the pottery dancing
around the beautiful table runner by artist Susan Webb Lee.

Eric did a masterful job on the carving. 

I knew this platter would be perfect for serving our Hickory Nut Gap Farm turkey. 

Two of my own offerings in the back in pieces from my 'signature servers' series:
 mashed sweet potatoes and the Chestnut/Apple/Leek dressing, done with Challah to celebrate
Hannukah. Green Beans in the foreground from Michael & Julie.

I love mixing up plates and bowls and cups, which somehow all seem to come
together as one design when the table is set. 

Thank goodness the sweet potato rolls match the table runner! Julie & Michael
brought their vibrant salad in a beautiful bowl by Angelique Tassistro, which seems to
find a complimentary pattern in the table runner as well.

From the bottom up: my Pomegranite-Citrus-Walnut salad, Kristin's Brussel Sprouts
 (in a bowl of mine that she bought several years ago), and an improvised gravy teapot (by Steve Prieto) 

Michael, who really IS Santa Claus, brings over the sides that he and Jan
graciously warmed up in their oven across the street.

By the time the candles burned down for the second night of Hannukah, we were ready for pie.
Patricia's incredible Apple Pie, and Pumpkin Pie by Eric - his first pie and a winner!

Jan's Mincemeat Pie - no doubt this is hand-made!  

Many times, when I'm at the wheel making pottery, I'm thinking of moments just
like this when my pots are filled with exquisite food at a table filled with good friends.

tucking into a true bounty of nourishment and friendship.

Grateful.

Fall and Holiday Shows

The crisp chill of fall with a few hints of winter are in the air, and I've been in a flurry in the studio getting ready for a series of seasonal shows. Come see me at one or more of the following events, and not only can you satisfy your need to support American-made artist entrepreneurs, you'll also find some darn nice pottery!

Saturday-Sunday, November 2-3, 2013:

A most gorgeous time of year to drive through scenic views in Weaverville and Barnardsville, and see beautifully hand crafted works in stunning home studios. I'm thrilled to return as a Guest Artist at the lovely home studio of textile artist Susan Webb Lee. We're at ##26 and #27 on the map.

Sunday, December 1, 2013:

Join me and my favorite Booth-Partner-In-Craft, Holly de Saillan (of holly de saillan clay & mosaic) as we deck out our table with holiday spirit and piles of our lovely clay creations!

Friday - Sunday, December 13-15, 2013:

An intimate indoor holiday market in downtown Asheville that will feature 44 vendors with fabulous handmade craft, food, and natural products. Not-So-Secret-Discount: show me your ticket stub to any of the Christmas Jam events, and you'll get 10% off your purchase!

Saturday, December 14, 2013:

  Of course you can always find my work in the Gallery at The Village Potters, but you might also like to know about our Holiday Sale on Saturday, December 14! 

Monday, December 16, 2013:

Lori takes a day off!! 

Gumbo Delight

No recipe here, just a picture of some of the most fantastic Chicken/Andouille Gumbo that I received in trade for a bowl. You can read about the whole story at my Crazy Green Studios blog. The bowl is made by me, and in this case it may not be that the homemade tasted better in handmade, but that the handmade was worthy of the homemade! Thanks, Emile!!

The Big Gumbo Trade

Rabbit Bowl

A few months back, in the heat of the summer, a lovely gentleman from Louisiana and his daughter visited us at The Village Potters. The gent, Emile, had a mission: he wanted a ceramic bowl to feed the rabbits that lived inside his chicken pen. He had been "all over, lookin' for a good rabbit bowl"! His daughter was sure we would have beautiful work, but that he wouldn't want to pay our prices. So I asked him how much he wanted to pay, and he said, without hesitation: $3.

Pictured above is one of my bakers, and he liked it a lot, in spite of the fact that it had superfluous decoration (my coneflowers) inside the bowl. In our conversations, we also learned that it was his birthday that day, so I offered him the baker for his rabbits as a gift. He kept asking me how much it would cost in the gallery, but I didn't see any point telling him as it was definitely more than $3 (it's a funny thing, isn't it ... I'd rather give it away than take less than what I deem it to be worth!).

He said he wished he had something he could give me in return, and talk got around to the wonderful gumbo that he makes with those chickens, and how you just can't get good Andouille outside of Louisiana, or good file, so I told him he could send me some gumbo! He has family who live in the area, so I said the next time he or any of them come near, he could send up some gumbo. After he left, several of my studio mates commented that I was not likely to see any gumbo.

Flash forward: I arrive at the studio today, to this lovely delivery of his Chicken/Andouille with File Gumbo:

I was so sorry that I wasn't there to greet his daughter and send my thanks back personally, and unfortunately, she left before anyone could get any contact information from her or for Emile. So if anyone knows Emile Kugler in Louisiana, please send him my sincere thanks from Asheville, along with a message that he was indeed correct: this is the most delicious gumbo I have ever had, and I feel like I came out way on top in this trade!

Gumbo Bowl