Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Painting on the Porch

Eiffel painting continues

Painting on the porch

JjNow that we actually have warm sunny days in upstate NY , I am switching mediums here to paint a large canvas with acrylics. This painting is special as the reference photo was taken while my husband and I were picnicking near the Eiffel in Paris ,France. 
I painted it a few years ago in watercolor and then decided to paint a large canvas for our bedroom .
Here is the painting in progress :

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Time for a tried and true recipe!

🍞 Recipe: Caesar salad
Ree Drummond
Ingredients
For croutons:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup olive oil
1 loaf French bread
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
For dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 whole anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar (balsamic makes it nice and rich)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
For salad:
2 Romaine lettuce heads
1/2 cup Parmesan shavings
Preparation
For croutons:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Cut the bread into 1- to 1 ½-inch cubes, then throw them into a large bowl.
Drizzle in the butter/oil mixture and toss them until they’re all coated. Stir together the Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and sprinkle the mixture all over the bread cubes.
Toss the bread around to coat. Spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, tossing twice, until the croutons are crisp with just a small amount of chewiness. Set them aside to cool completely.
For Caesar dressing:
Add the olive oil and garlic to a blender. Add the anchovies. Don’t be grossed out! You won’t even know they’re there. Next, add the Dijon, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Blend the dressing until totally smooth, then add the Parmesan and blend until smooth again.
For salad:
Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces and throw it into a large bowl. Drizzle in three-quarters of the dressing, then toss it around. Sprinkle on the Parmesan shavings, then toss it again.
Toss in the croutons (along with all the crispy bits from the baking pan). Taste the salad to check the dressing amount; if you think it needs more, add it and toss the salad.
Serving Size
Makes 8 to 12 servings