Happy Mother's Day!

Just a few thoughts on Mother's Day, about my own gorgeous mom, my lovely sister who is a super-mom, and so many other women in my life who exemplify what it is to be a mother, whether they have children or not. I count many as dear and vital friends, I've adopted many of them, and I admire them all (and if we know each other and you're wondering if I'm talking about you, I am!). But my own mom is the one who gave me my first and lasting definition of 'mother', and I have found myself 'mothering' in many times/parts of my life, and if I do it right, it's because of what I learned from her. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I Love You!


“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” 
― Washington Irving

“No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star.” - Edwin Hubbell Chapin

Allegria & Don, my 'rents

“Behind all your stories is always your mother's story. Because hers is where yours begin.” 
― Mitch Albom

"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them." - Victor Hugo

Generational moms: my sister Becky & Mom

“In a child's eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.” 
― N.K. Jemisin

More generational love - me ... a few years ago ...
with a picture of my mom's mom, Hannah.

“If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been.” 
― Robert Brault

Ramping up Simplicity

While I'm still not putting plants in the ground until after Mother's Day, I always feel like Spring has officially sprung when ramps show up at the market.

Love my Locals! Eggs & Shiitakes from Mudluscious Gardens
and local ramps from Katuah Market.

And as with most things fresh from the garden or farm, simple is best. Other than what you see in the picture, the only other ingredients I used were olive oil, salt, and pepper.

saute chopped ramp bulbs and leaves in olive oil until softened.
Season with salt & pepper.

Add sliced shiitake mushrooms. Continue to cook until moisture is released
and mushrooms are tender, but still have a bite.

Break two eggs into pan, lightly salt/pepper. Begin to softly scramble,
but only the whites.

Once the whites are cooked, break the yolks and stir
to coat the rest of the pan.

Cook yolks to preferred doneness. I like them soft - the flavors are simple and fresh,
earthy and aromatic. 

Pop Up Spring Cleaning Sale

I'm cleaning the studio and making room for new production, this is true. It's also true that winter is a bit slower, and I've got some piles of pots that are just lovely, but they really aren't a part of my regular inventory for one reason or another. Some were glaze tests, and progressions of firings as I work through glaze tests. Some were demo pots for various occasions, some were duplicates made when filling commissions. Some were just for fun - trying something new but not intending to continue, and some just haven't found their forever home yet and are of a style I might not continue. All lovely pots, looking for a new home so I'll have room for all the pots on my current production list, as well as the ideas swimming around in my head.

Seems the same is true for my studio-mate Judi, so we're having a little pop-up sale in the new Feature Gallery at The Village Potters. Our sale begins Friday, March 7 and runs through Saturday, March 22 or when we run out of pots, which ever comes first. Pots, both functional and decorative, are priced to help motivate their transition to good homes.

Come and get 'em. All sales final, and no wholesale purchases on sale items.

The Village Potters is located at 191 Lyman Street (Riverview Station), #180, Asheville, NC, 28801. Winter hours are Monday - Saturday, 10am-4pm.

Hope to see you there!

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.